Killing Time
by Corruo
Summary: Why did I think that stealing one of Voldemort's horcruxes from Lucius Malfoy would be a good idea? It seemed like a smart move at the time, but now I have to suffer the consequences. My name is Harry Potter, and this is the longest day of my life...
1. Prologue: Heaven for Everyone

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter, it's characters, or the universe. Nor do I make any claim to any copyrighted material in this story. The rights to any intellectual property are reserved to their respective parties. The rights to Harry Potter are reserved to J.K. Rowling, Bloomsbury Publishing, and Levine Books. "Queen" and "Queen" songs are reserved to the respective band members and Hollywood Records._

_All characters in this story are fictional. Any likeness to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental._

A Corruo Story

Edited by inVale

**Killing Time  
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Prologue

**Heaven for Everyone**

_August 30, 2011_

_8:03 AM_

_Covingham, Swindon, U.K._

The morning sun crested the roofs of the homes that lined Baskerville Road in the quaint suburb of Covingham in Swindon as the morning commute began for so many of the neighborhood's residents. Once again, cars began to pull out of their respective driveways to begin their dutiful trek across the country, carrying their masters into the business world once more. The freshly mown lawns and immaculately trimmed hedges of the neighborhood belied the fact that the weekend had just passed and that, for the second time that week, Covingham was going to work.

But even as the adults of each household were making their daily trek away from home, their children continued to sleep; tucked safely away in their beds, wasting away the dying days of summer. Under the roof of number thirty seven, things were no different, as two teens slept peacefully in separate rooms, their dreams consumed with thoughts of each other as well as apprehension over the impending school year.

In the small, second floor guest room just at the top of the stairs, sixteen year old Harry Potter turned over in his sleep, trying with all his might to keep from waking up. For the fourth night in a row he had tossed and turned, his mind wandering as he tried to find a comfortable position in the unfamiliar bed. Still, he was grateful to the Grangers for providing it for him at Hermione's behest.

It had only been a few short months since their friendship turned upside-down by a chaste kiss on the cheek by Hermione late one night. Harry took to asking his godfather for advice through his mirrors on the matter, though he quickly realized that Sirius was not the best person to ask for advice on girls. In the following weeks Harry had accompanied the Grangers and a few others to Las Vegas during their summer vac to investigate a casino owned by Lucius Malfoy, which was allegedly housing one of Voldemort's horcruxes. After several trying days, the group had managed to steal the object and hide it safely in Harry's Gringotts vault while at the same time capturing Peter Pettigrew.

Following their return from Las Vegas, Harry had returned to Grimmauld Place, accompanied by his godfather's best friend Remus Lupin, as they awaited the long overdue trial of Sirius Black. However, a week after arriving back at Number 12, Sirius had turned up, unannounced, his name cleared without a trial. In a small story that was buried in the bottom corner of the back page of _The Daily Prophet_ it was announced that the Ministry had held a small, closed trial for Peter Pettigrew and had convicted him based entirely on his own interrogation under Veritaserum as well as the testimony of Sirius. Consequently, Sirius's name was cleared; an announcement that was made, without apology, in the same article in the _Prophet_. Despite the announcement, little was done in the way of reparations for Sirius's imprisonment, and no apology, formal or informal, was issued. This fact, coupled with the lack of trial in the first place, had led Sirius to retain legal counsel as he prepped a legal suit against the Ministry of Magic.

However, free from the stigma that had relentlessly dogged his name for over a decade, Sirius returned to Grimmauld Place with a new lease on life. Immediately he had set to work renovating his family's house; tearing out the old, tired, and dark décor and replacing it with a vibrant, more modern look that was, for the first time, welcoming to guests. Gone were the age-old house-elf heads that had lined the staircase, replaced with charmed sconces that brightened the space considerably. The Black family tree, which had previously taken up an entire wall, was gone, replaced with a fresh coat of warm, off-white paint. In total, Sirius had become a new man, shaken both by his experiences in Las Vegas, as well as his newfound freedom; and his cheerful exuberance had begun to seep into every facet of his life, starting with his home.

Despite the fact that the renovations of Number 12 were still incomplete and debris littered the floor, Sirius had thrown a party for the entire Order of the Phoenix with the exception of Severus Snape, who had declined his invitation. The Grangers had even been invited as well. Following their holiday to America, Sirius had grown much closer to the Grangers, especially the adults, and this culminated in him extending an invitation for them to visit his home once again.

It was during this visit, on August 24th, that Hermione had invited her new boyfriend to spend the last few days of the summer holiday at her home in Swindon. Although both Richard and Ellen had approved of the idea, Harry was somewhat reticent as he was afraid that he would be leaving Sirius alone, hurting the Marauder's feelings. However, just as when Harry had first asked to accompany the Grangers to Florida earlier in the summer, Sirius was insistent that Harry take advantage of the opportunity. And so, two days later, Harry found himself in the Grangers' spacious two-story stone home, waiting out the rest of summer.

Turning over once more in his bed, Harry grumbled incoherently as he finally opened his eyes. The early morning sunlight streamed through the window to his right, temporarily blinding Harry as he struggled to wake up fully. Stretching languidly as he closed his eyes once more, Harry waited for the inevitable pop of his sternum to signify that he was, indeed, ready to face the day. Ever since he had arrived four days before, he had had trouble growing accustomed to the unfamiliar bed and as a result had spent most nights tossing and turning, which was interspersed short naps throughout the night.

This particular morning, the most recent of those short naps had been interrupted by the departure of Richard and Ellen. Even though they had made a conscious effort to remain quiet, Harry's still-unfamiliar surroundings made him hypersensitive to any disturbances.

Throwing his legs over the side of the bed Harry stood and padded his way across the carpeted floor toward the door. Opening the door, he glanced across the hall and down to his left to find that Hermione's door was still closed. Taking this as a clue to stay quiet, Harry crept down the stairs to his immediate right and down the hall at their base before entering the kitchen.

The Grangers' kitchen, like the rest of the house, was modestly spacious with an adjoining dining room which overlooked the adjacent seating room. The three areas formed a sort of great room with a two meter long bar separating the kitchen from the dining area. The soft eggshell white of the walls helped to ease Harry into the brightness of the morning, eliminating any jarring contrast between the sunlight and dark walls.

Quietly opening the refrigerator, Harry pulled out eggs and bacon, intent on making a simple breakfast. Cracking three eggs into a cast-iron skillet he had found in the cupboard, Harry pulled out another pan and began to fry up the bacon. As he set about cooking breakfast, his mind wandered back to his budding relationship with the only other person in the house, Hermione.

Following their date in Las Vegas, Hermione's parents had changed the rooming arrangements, having her spend the final night in Vegas sharing a room with them as opposed to Harry. Harry had agreed with this move and had told Hermione as much, feeling that her parents were simply looking out for her. The next day however, the two had spent the entire flight sitting next to each other in the same way that they had on the flight from Britain. This timehowever, the journey had been much more intimate, as the armrest between the seats was discarded in favor of sitting closer. While they were not so blatant as to engage in outright snogging, Harry and Hermione were content to simply revel in each other's presence, enjoying their newfound relationship.

When they had arrived home however that intimacy vanished in a second, as within hours Hermione was spirited away by her parents with only a goodbye kiss and a promise to write. For the next three weeks Harry and Hermione exchanged letters on a daily basis, giving Hedwig a chanceto finally stretch her wings after sitting dormant while her owner was out of the country. This back and forth had allowed the teens to keep in touch, though the change was a bit jarring after spending so much time in each other's company over the previous weeks. It was then no surprise that Hermione had literally leapt into Harry's arms when she first arrived at Grimmauld Place for Sirius's party and had invited him to spend the remainder of summer at her house.

The first four days of Harry's stay with the Grangers had been spent in relative quiet as Harry had arrived on a Friday while the adult Grangers were at their practice. As Harry and Hermione were alone for much of that day she had shown him around the neighborhood, even taking him to the nearby school that she had attended prior to Hogwarts. The weekend had been spent mainly in Swindon with the Grangers and Harry making the occasional visit to the grocer or local parks in an attempt to get out of the house for a short time. When Monday arrived Richard had seemed somewhat reluctant to leave Harry and Hermione alone in the house, but Ellen had convinced him that nothing untoward would happen in their absence.

"What are you thinking about?" a voice asked suddenly, shaking Harry out of his thoughts. He spun around to see Hermione standing in the kitchen door, clad in a tight white tee and pink and white polka dot pajama shorts.

"Morning," he croaked, his mouth suddenly dry.

Hermione giggled as she walked over to him and pecked him on the cheek. "Good morning," she replied.

"What're you doing up so early?" he asked as he turned his attention back to the food.

"This is early?" she asked. "How long have you been up?"

"I asked you first!" he protested, turning to shoot her a grin.

She shrugged. "Well, I thought that since you were up I might as well get up too."

"I didn't wake you up, did I?" Harry asked in concern.

"No, of course not!" she replied emphatically. "Well, unless you're talking about the smell of bacon and eggs… then the answer is yes."

"Well I wasn't, but do you want some?"

"Sure! But I can make it myself," she added, stepping alongside Harry.

"No! I can do it!" he laughed, nudging her aside playfully as he continued to scramble the eggs.

"But it's my breakfast too!" she argued, laughing all the while.

"But I wanna do it! I wanna make you breakfast!" Harry maintained, stretching his arm out to block Hermione's access to the stove.

"Oh, stop being a baby!" Hermione barked lightly. She threw her entire weight against Harry, shoving him to the side and into the counter behind him. Hermione took up his position in front of the range, spreading her feet on the floor to block Harry's access.

"You think that's gonna stop me?" Harry taunted, stepping behind Hermione and wrapping his arms around her to grab the spatula from her hand.

Hermione giggled as Harry pressed himself against her back. "Harry! Stop it!" she commanded with a chuckle. "You can't make breakfast for me every day! I want to carry my weight at least once while you're here!"

"Then what am I supposed to do?" he pouted, releasing his hold on her arm.

"You could turn on the telly," she suggested helpfully. "Let's see what kind of bad news there is today."

"Don't be so positive about it," Harry suggested as he walked into the sitting room.

The sitting room was taken up by a sofa and smaller loveseat that were arranged perpendicular to each other to frame the room and separate it from the adjacent dining space. Both pieces of furniture faced a large, flat screen television which rested on a stand in the opposite corner. Between the sofa and loveseat and the television was a large ottoman upon which the television remote usually rested.

"Where's the remote?" Harry called as he searched next to the television and on the arms of the sofa and loveseat. He had not found it in its usual home on the ottoman.

"It's not on the ottoman?" Hermione replied, not turning away from her task in the kitchen.

"Nope."

"Ugh, don't tell me it fell between the cushions again!" she groaned.

"Just a second," Harry said as he turned his attention to the cushions. He stuck his hand between each one before finally finding it between the two cushions of the brown loveseat. "Found it!"

"I don't know what it is about those things that makes them disappear," Hermione grumbled.

"Just nature I guess," Harry responded with a shrug as he pressed the power button. As the screen flashed to the morning news program, Hermione pulled the skillet from the burner and turned to face the television.

"Ugh," she grunted as she watched the images flash on the screen, "not that again."

"Hm? What do you mean?" Harry asked, paying more attention to her than to the television.

"The riots," she replied, nodding at the screen. "The stupid pricks-"

"Hermione!"

"What? That's what they are! The stupid pricks ran around breaking things just because they weren't given free money! Man wasn't meant to live on the dole, so what do these people think they are doing?"

"I hardly think that's the whole story," Harry responded. "I'm sure there's more to it than that."

"Oh, there is. I've just been paying a bit of attention to the riots over the past few weeks and I can't help but think that most of the people are just big babies."

Harry shrugged. He had not heard anything about the issue, so he could not form an opinion. As a result, he simply deferred to Hermione's judgment on the situation.

"So then what do you want to do today?" he asked, trying to change the subject.

"That's up to you," she replied as she carried a pair of plates to the dining room table. "But the food's ready," she added.

"No, it's up to you," he countered as he took on the other side of the rectangular table, opposite Hermione. "It's your house; you know the area better than I do, so whatever you want to do is fine with me."

"Oh, honestly, Harry! You're the guest here; you can choose what to do sometimes!"

"Well, we've got all day to ourselves," he reasoned. "So what's to say that we can't both choose what to do?"

"Fine then," Hermione nodded in agreement. "What's your plan for your part of the day?" she asked, automatically organizing the day into two sections.

Harry shook his head. "I'm not saying that we should split up the day, just pick and choose things that we think might be fun for both of us. I think we could go for a walk or something this morning before it gets too hot, then we can do whatever you want afterwards. If you want, I'll even spend time doing homework with you!"

"No you will not!" she declared. "This is summer, and we're supposed to have fun, not spend it cooped up with our noses in books!"

"What? Are you the same Hermione I've known all these years?" Harry asked playfully.

Hermione kicked him under the table in response. "Oh, come off it!" she laughed. "I'm serious! Besides, I already finished my homework..."

"And I was being serious too! Of course, it doesn't really surprise me that you're already done, but I have no problem doing homework-"

"Oh, how I long to hear that back at Hogwarts," she muttered. "You have no idea how refreshing it is to hear somebody say that!"

"Are you sure you aren't talking about Ron? I've always been willing to study when needed." He was stopped in his tracks by the skeptical look on Hermione's face. "Sometimes…" he added quietly, averting his gaze.

"Right…" Hermione trailed off. "I'll admit that you're not as bad as Ronald, but trust me, you've never been that willing to sit down for an evening and spend time revising."

"But I am now," he supplied cheerfully. "So long as I get to do it with you!"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Oh, stop it," she said. "Fluffy little comments like that are not going to earn you any points in my-"

"They're not?"

"No! Because if you're just saying it to butter me up, then it doesn't really mean the same thing! Now, I like hearing those things as much as the next girl but they have to mean something."

"I did mean it," he murmured to the table before looking up at Hermione once again. "Things have changed between the two of us since the last time we were in school. I honestly meant that I'd like studying more now because I'd get to spend it with you. That doesn't mean I want to actually do the studying though… just that I want to spend the time with you."

"You really should have asked me out a long time ago then," she reasoned. "Your marks might've improved if you did."

"Yeah, but hindsight's twenty twenty," he retorted playfully. "Even though I probably would have had more fun at the Yule Ball if I had asked you instead of Parvarti. But then again I think that was when I started to think about you differently. That dress… Merlin!"

Hermione blushed prettily but rolled her eyes in dismissal. "So a walk then?" she asked, changing the subject.

Harry chuckled at her transparent attempt at changing the subject. "You really did look great that night," he reinforced. "But yeah, we can do a walk. Then we can do whatever you want."

Suddenly Hermione snapped her fingers. "I almost forgot!"

"What?"

"I was going to show you _The Wizard of Oz_! Remember? When we were at the MGM, I told you I had to show it to you! We could do that today!"

Harry shrugged. "Sure, why not? Gives us something to do at the very least."

"Trust me," she added, "you'll like it. It's a classic! Nobody can hate a classic!"

"Is that a law you read somewhere or something?" he joked. "The way you say it sounds pretty firm to me!"

"It might as well be!" she argued as she rose from her seat and took both of their empty plates back into the kitchen.

"Hey! I can do that!" Harry cried as he shoved his chair back from the table and rushed to her side. But he was too late, as she placed them in the sink just as he reached her. "Cheater," he breathed as she turned to face him, a broad smile on her face.

"You're the guest," she reminded him with a shrug. "You shouldn't be doing anything while you're here!"

"Nothing at all? Then what am I here for?" he retorted with a grin. Hermione rolled her eyes as she pushed past him. Harry turned and ran after her as she made a move toward the stairs. "You didn't answer my question!" he pressed.

"Oh, shut up and go get ready!" she laughed as she spanked him lightly to get him moving.

The light push forced Harry forward toward the stairs. "Hey! Watch the hands, 'cause if you break it, you buy it!"

"I'm your girlfriend, remember? I already own it."

Harry let out a loud laugh as he grabbed the banister and whipped himself around the railing and onto the stairs. "True," he admitted loudly as he began to climb the stairs to shower for the day.

* * *

><p><em>August 30, 2011<em>

_10:18 AM_

Harry wrapped his right arm around Hermione's waist as the two stepped out of the Granger's front door. Hermione spun to lock the door even as Harry maintained his grip, then stuck the key in the front pocket of her jean shorts as the two departed.

"So where to?" Harry asked.

"Do we have to go somewhere in particular?" Hermione asked in response.

Harry shrugged. "Well, no. I just didn't know if you wanted to go somewhere in particular. We can just walk around if you want."

"Yes, that's kinda what I was thinking." She paused and inhaled deeply as they walked. "You know, I like this," she added.

"Hmm?"

"This. Us. Together," she explained slowly as though he was daft.

Instantly, Harry was transported back to Las Vegas, when Hermione had uttered those exact same words just before their incident in the book store. "You know, I distinctly remember you saying that same thing a few weeks ago," he told her. "But I completely botched the response last time-"

"Yep," she chirped.

"So let's try this again; I like this too," he replied, pulling her tighter against his side. "I shouldn't have waited so long… especially since the signs were right in front of me during our entire holiday. I guess I was just a bit thick."

"Well, if I'm honest, I wasn't completely transparent about things either before the holiday," Hermione admitted. "But that's neither here nor there. Let's just forget about all that and go from there, alright?"

"Right," Harry nodded.

"The question is how do we break it to Ronald?"

"What do you mean? What's wrong with just telling him?"

"'What's wrong with just telling him?' Harry, he's been our friend for five years! How would you feel if he and I suddenly took up together and left you behind?"

"A bit jealous, actually," Harry replied. "Since you were supposed to be _my_ girlfriend and not his."

"That's not what I meant!" she exclaimed as she kicked his nearby shin gently. "I meant if we were never together and suddenly he and I got together, how would you feel?"

"Do I have to imagine something like that?" he whined jokingly. "Alright, I guess I'd feel kinda left out. But that still doesn't make any sense! What does he expect? A ménage-a-trois? There's only room for two in a relationship, so it only makes sense that the third person is left out a bit."

"But that's it exactly! And nice use of the term 'ménage-a-trois' by the way. Anyway, we can't leave him out; if anything, we have to work to include him a bit more in everything from now on."

Harry shrugged in acceptance. "Right, I can go with that," he said. "So long as he doesn't get jealous at me."

"Why would he get jealous at you?"

"Because I would if he was in my position right now," Harry replied flirtatiously.

The pair walked in companionable silence, passing house after house, each flanked by well manicured lawns and hedges. They had turned off of Hermione's street and were now walking on the sidewalk along a much larger thoroughfare that acted as the major arterial for the neighborhood. Traffic along this road was much greater than on the side roads that Hermione lived on, limiting the two teens to walking only on the sidewalk.

However, the comfortable silence was soon broken by Hermione, "There is one thing that I do need need to warn you about," she said.

"Uh, oh." Harry groaned jokingly. "What's it this time?"

"Oh, nothing bad. Just… well… Daddy's been planning this barbeque for the end of summer ever since we got back from the States-"

"And going to America had nothing to do with that?"

"He'll deny it till the day he dies," Hermione replied. "But it's going to be tomorrow and my entire family's going to be there. Actually, my mum and dad invited Sirius too."

"What? Why?"

"Now, you didn't hear this from me," she prefaced. "But the whole thing is kind of an end of summer party and something of a birthday for both of us since mine is in a few weeks and yours was a few weeks ago."

"But we went out to dinner for my birthday in Vegas!"

"Yes but it's just kind of a combined party. But you didn't hear this from me, remember? If my parents say something tonight about it, act surprised."

"Act surprised about what?" Harry asked slyly.

"Exactly. Now, I'm not sure what they have planned, except for I know that my grandparents on my mum's side and her sister are coming. And Sirius too. But besides that, I'm not sure what's going to happen."

"I'll keep that in mind," Harry chuckled. "But it can't be too bad. That's one of the benefits of living in a neighborhood like this; the neighbors will be able to see if there's any abuse going on!"

Hermione laughed as the pair reached the small park near her house. Immediately, Hermione spotted the swings in the distance, across a vast, empty, grassy expanse. "Come on!" she squealed, grabbing Harry's hand and pulling him along as she ran toward the swings.

Harry took off after his girlfriend, laughing all the way as she dragged him to the swings in the distance. "Hey! Slow down!" he yelled as they ran.

"Slow down? What, you can't keep up?" she yelled back.

"Is that a challenge?" he laughed as he picked up the pace. With a burst of acceleration, Harry overtook Hermione and began to pull her along. With Harry's newfound speed, the pair reached the swings a moment later.

"Cheater!" Hermione cried, beating against Harry's chest as they stopped. "You're a boy!"

"Thanks for noticing!" he chuckled.

"But you have longer legs! That's hardly fair!"

"Then we'll just say we got here at the same time, alright?"

"Right."

"And what was that anyway? They're just swings! What's so exciting about some swings?"

"They're swings!" she replied, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Yes, I saw that," Harry sniggered.

"They're fun!" she added excitedly.

"Where has this Hermione come from? I've never seen you like this!"

"Well then get used to it, because this is the real me," she explained. "With no school, nothing to worry about; this is who I am."

"Well, I like it."

"Good. But enough of the mushy stuff, there are swings to be played with!" She took off toward the swings, rushing to the closest one. The entire set was empty, as was the rest of the park, due to the early hour. But just as Hermione reached her swing, Harry grabbed her by the waist and lifted her up, spinning her around and placing her on his lap as he took a seat on the swing. "What are you doing?" Hermione shrieked happily.

"Swinging," he said simply.

"With two of us on the same swing?"

"Why not? If a swing can hold Dudley's weight, I think it could hold both of ours… plus that of a killer whale, too."

To prove his point, he kicked off of the ground, wrapping his arms around Hermione's waist as she held the chains. She squealed as Harry launched them toward the sky, her knuckles white from gripping the chains.

"Isn't this fun?" Harry laughed as he leaned back to gain momentum once more. The swing rocketed forward, gaining speed and height as Harry used his weight to push them higher.

"I don't think these swings were meant for this!"

"Bollocks! If they weren't meant for this, there would've been a warning on them!"

"I think there was if you had just looked!"

"Then it was a stupid warning, since we're obviously doing just fine!" he argued.

"Maybe you are, but I'm scared out of my wits!" she cried.

Immediately, Harry slowed down, allowing the swing to come to an eventual stop. "That scared you?" he asked, his voice tinted with remorse.

"A bit," she replied honestly. "But nothing too bad. After all, spending a few days with you can desensitize anyone instantly."

"Gee, thanks," he said. "But sorry about that," he added. "I just thought it might be fun, but I guess it didn't turn out that way, did it?"

Hermione shook her head. "It was fun," she reassured him. "I just think we went a bit too high too fast. If we just sat like this," she gestured to their current position, with her resting comfortably in his lap, "and swung gently, then it would be perfect. Going that high… I don't think it works with two people on the same swing."

"Alright," Harry replied sheepishly. "Let's try this again, then, shall we?" He moved to push off once again, but was stopped by Hermione.

"Wait!" she called, jumping off of his lap.

"What?"

Instead of replying, Hermione hopped back onto his lap, now facing toward him, and threw her legs on either side of his waist. "Let's try it this way," she chirped gaily.

"By your command, my lady!" Harry responded happily as he grabbed the chains and pushed off.

This time, Hermione wrapped her arms around Harry's torso and buried her face in his shoulder as the swing slowly inched its way higher.

"If you're afraid we can stop," he offered, taking note of Hermione's position.

"Who said I was afraid?" she asked, lifting her head.

"Well… just the way you're sitting. You're sitting close-"

"Harry Potter, I hardly need an excuse to sit on your lap like this anymore!"

"Well, when you put it that way, it sounds terrible."

"I don't want to remind you, Harry," Hermione began, "but I can sit like this with you now. And I can do things I never used to be able to do."

"Like-" he began but was silenced by Hermione's lips on his.

* * *

><p><em>August 30, 2011<em>

_12:23 PM_

"Do you have a tomato around here anywhere?" Harry called, his head and shoulders hiding inside the Grangers' pantry.

"Did you check in the produce basket on the table?" she yelled back, on her hands and knees in the adjacent sitting room, changing videos below the television.

"Yeah," he lied, as he closed the pantry and walked over to the dining room table. Sure enough, resting in the large, black, decorative basket, was a trio of ripe tomatoes, resting on a bed of other assorted produce. "Found one," he called, grabbing one.

"Where did you find it?"

"Ummm… I can't remember," he replied unconvincingly.

"It was in the basket, wasn't it?"

"You'll never get me to admit it!"

"You just did!" she retorted as she rose from the floor. "Did you find the lettuce?"

"In the refrigerator! That was the first thing I found, 'cause I remember seeing it this morning when I put away the extra bacon. Besides, you can't have BLTs without lettuce!"

"Well, you can," she argued, "but they'd be BTs, not BLTs."

"Why do you have to be so smart?" Harry asked as he finished washing the tomato and set about slicing it.

A few moments later, and armed with two plates with complete sandwiches, Harry sat down on the sofa next to Hermione as she grabbed the remote control and began the movie.

"What's this?" he asked, nodding at the screen as he handed a plate to Hermione.

"_Wizard of Oz_!" she said. "I told you that this morning!"

"Just wanted to make sure," he replied, lifting his sandwich. But just as it reached his mouth, he stopped. "Don't tell me this isn't in color," he whined.

"What do you mean?"

"It looks like a ruddy hundred-year-old muggle photo!"

Hermione shrugged. "Actually," she began. "It's almost a hundred years old. But trust me, you'll like it. And not everything is what it seems; And bear in mind that not everything comes in a pretty package."

"Oh, so just you then?" he flirted as he once again lifted his sandwich and turned his attention back to the screen.

Just shy of two hours later, the movie ended, however neither Harry nor Hermione had noticed. As the credits rolled, the two teens found themselves stretched out on the sofa, fast asleep, with Hermione lying on top of Harry, her head tucked under his chin. Harry's arm was wrapped snugly around Hermione's waist as her head rose and fall with his steady breathing, both of them exhausted after their physical activity that morning.

As the two slept, the door from the adjoining garage opened and Richard and Ellen stepped through. However, as he crossed the threshold, Richard stopped short.

"I'm never leaving again," he announced upon seeing Harry and Hermione.

"What are you on about now?" Ellen asked, rolling her eyes.

"This!" he declared quietly, gesturing toward the sleeping teens. "If this is what they get up to while we're away, then I'm never leaving again! Who knows what would have happened if we didn't have so few appointments today?"

"Do you honestly think they'd be rolling around in bed upstairs right now having the shag of their life if we hadn't come home early?"

Richard shrugged. "Well it was just a thought. Besides, could you really put it past them?"

"Well, it was a stupid thought at that. Honestly, Richard, you worry too much. You know Harry's far too noble for that sort of thing, especially considering how little time they've been together. Look at the telly; obviously, they were watching a film and fell asleep. How many times has that happened to us… did that happen to us?"

"So?" Richard grumbled childishly. "I'm a father of a teenage girl! It's my job to read more into things than I should!"

"And you're doing a brilliant job of it. Just let it go and trust them, alright? From what I've seen, you've got nothing to worry about, so actually, there's not even a reason to have to put your trust in them."

"Should I wake them up?" he asked, ignoring her remarks.

"What for? Just so that you can get them away from each other? Let them sleep; they can get up later."

"Too late," a voice came from the sofa. "I'm already awake," Hermione said sleepily, not moving an inch.

"Morning dear," Ellen joked from the kitchen as she stored her purse away for the night.

"Morning mum," Harry replied.

"She was talking to me, you dolt!" Hermione chastised him playfully as she climbed off of his chest.

"Well excuse me for greeting my hosts!"

"You don't have to get up on our account," Ellen told him, noticing that Harry, too, had risen from the sofa.

"But there's no point in lying around if I'm already awake," he reasoned. "Besides, it's getting a bit late for a nap, so I might as well get up. Maybe see what's for supper."

"Well, we just got home, so I haven't had a chance to figure that out," she responded.

"No! That's not what I meant!" Harry said violently.

"Of course I know that, Harry! Lighten up! We'll figure it out, don't worry!"

Harry shook his head. "That's still not what I meant. I meant that _I _would figure out what's for supper. Might as well, really, since you lot are hosting me. I might as well pay you back somehow."

"What did you have in mind?" Hermione asked.

"Pizza, naturally," Harry replied easily. "Nothing simpler than that, really."

"Where'd you want to order it from?" Richard asked as he took a seat on one of the stools behind against the bar. He swiveled to face Harry and the others as he leaned back in the chair.

"Here."

"Here? You mean make pizza here? Won't that take too long?" Richard inquired. "I was hoping to eat today, if I'm honest."

"Ha, ha, Richard," Ellen groaned as she rolled her eyes. "It's not that hard to make pizza from scratch, so long as we start it early-"

"You mean so long as _I _start it early," Harry corrected. "You lot aren't gonna make anything, I'm gonna do it all."

"You have to be kidding me!" Hermione cried. "There's no way I'm going to let you do all of the work. At the very least I'll help. It would give me something to do!"

Harry shrugged at her insistence. "Fine by me," he said. "But we might as well get going, since I've gotta get all of the ingredients I want."

Ellen nodded. "I'll get the keys," she said. "And I'll drop you two off at the grocer if you want… or I can come in and help you-"

"I think I… erm, we can handle it," Harry replied.

"Suit yourself," she responded with a shrug. "But go get in the car and I'll be out there in a moment, alright?"

Harry and Hermione nodded before grabbing their shoes. As he stood from tying his shoes, Harry made a half-hearted attempt at flatting his untamable hair, which had only managed to become wilder as a result of his and Hermione's nap. The pair then made their way to the adjoining garage, leaving Richard and Ellen alone in the kitchen.

"So, are you gonna tell him about the party tomorrow?" Richard asked as Ellen retrieved the car keys after only recently depositing them on the counter.

"Not quite yet," she replied. "But we should tell him tonight at least… maybe around supper. I still think he should have been the one to invite Sirius. Granted, we already told Hermione we had invited him, but I think it would have meant a bit more if Harry did it himself, especially since Harry's the one who's staying over here away from his godfather in the first place. That, and I think it would have been a bit easier if it was Harry telling him that he needed to get cleaned up. You know how awkward that was! And Sirius didn't even take it badly!"

"You're still going through with that?"

"Why not?" Ellen asked. "It'll be good for him… and Christine. But we'll talk about it later. I don't want the kids getting suspicious or anything that I'm taking too long in here." She pecked her husband on the lips before rushing out the door to the waiting teens.

* * *

><p><em>August 30, 2011<em>

_10:12 PM_

"Well, I think I'm gonna call it a night," Richard announced, rising from his seat on the sofa next to his wife.

"Already?" Hermione balked.

"What? I was up before the sun, young lady," he retorted playfully.

"And you have to realize that when you get to be his age, you get tired easily," Ellen interjected.

"Hey!" Richard cried as Harry and Hermione chuckled. "I'll have you know that I'm just as energetic as I was twenty years ago! It's just been a long day, that's all!"

"Excuses, excuses," Ellen laughed as she too rose from the sofa. "Oh! And before I forget," she added suddenly, "we're gonna have some people over to visit tomorrow Harry."

"Okay..." he trailed off, already knowing what she was going to say.

"Oh, don't make it sound so bad!" Ellen chided. "It's just my parents and my sister. Richard's parents are spending their summer down on the French Riviera so they won't be able to come this year. But we invited Sirius to come too. It's kind of an end of summer party combined with both yours and Hermione's birthday. We figured that it would help if there was actually someone there you knew, especially since both of my parents want to meet you."

"Meet me?" Harry gulped. Meeting and getting to know Richard had been intimidating enough, but now Harry was faced with the prospect of meeting more adults.

"They're not so bad," Hermione comforted.

"Right," Ellen agreed. "They're just interested because this is the first time Hermione's brought anyone home, let alone a boy."

"That's actually not that comforting," he grumbled. "That'll make me the center of attention."

"Hopefully not entirely," Richard replied. "Ellen here has some crazy idea to help with that."

"Like?"

"That's a surprise," Ellen said cryptically. "But not to worry; it's nothing bad."

"You know, that's not all that comforting."

"Oh, stop being so dramatic!" Hermione ordered with a roll of her eyes.

"You know that Drama is my middle name."

"I thought you said it was Perfection?" she reminded him, bringing his mind back to their trip to Las Vegas.

"Didn't I ever tell you I had two middle names?"

"Yeah, and I thought the other one was James," she pointed out logically.

"Details, details," Harry responded dismissively.

"Hey! You're the one who said it! I'm just pointing out that it's wrong!"

"Oh, so you're admitting that my middle name is Perfection?"

"Ugh, you're hopeless!" Hermione cried, throwing her hands into the air.

Richard and Ellen chuckled at the two teens as they moved toward the stairs. "Goodnight you two," Ellen said. "Don't stay up too late; we've got plans tomorrow."

"We know mum," Hermione said. "We'll be going to bed soon."

"In separate beds," Richard reminded. Hermione rolled her eyes once more as her parents took to the stairs leaving her and Harry alone in the sitting room.

* * *

><p><em>August 31, 2011<em>

_8:08 AM_

Harry was jolted awake by the sudden, rough landing of a weight on his midsection. Cracking open an eye, he saw Hermione's face inches away from his own, a broad smile plastered on her face as she sat on his waist.

"Morning sleepyhead," she said brightly.

"Ugh, it's too early for you to be this awake," Harry grumbled as he attempted to turn over and bury his head in his pillow. But with Hermione pinning him down, that was impossible.

"No, it's too late for you to be this tired," she chirped back. "Now get up!" she ordered as she reached to pull his pillow away from him, squirming on his lap as she did so.

Harry froze. "You might want to stop that."

Hermione looked at him curiously. "Why?" she asked, then stopped suddenly squirming. "Oh," she squeaked, instantly flustered.

Harry felt a flush creep up the back of his neck. "Or," he said with a grin, trying to hide his embarassment, "you could keep squirming?"

"Harry Potter!" Hermione cried. "We've only been together for a few weeks and here you are trying to get me to jump in bed with you!" At my parents', no less!"

"Aren't you already in bed with me?"

"That's wholly beside the point!"

"No it's not. You're the one who started it! And aren't you the one who was squirming around on my lap? You know a bloke could get ideas from that."

"Harry Potter, you randy little cretin!" Hermione laughed boistrously.

However, Hermione's laughter dropped off as the door creaked open to Ellen's shocked face.

"I'll come back later, then." She stammered before closing the door and rushing down the hall noisily.

"Look what you just did!" Hermione shrieked as Ellen left. "Now she's gonna think we were... shagging like rabbits or something!"

Harry quirked an eyebrow "What _I_ did? You're the one in my bed. And no, this time it's not beside the point!"

"Boys," she muttered, "everything has to come down to sex." She watched as Harry shrugged nonchalantly. "But now my parents must think that we're in here joined at the hips."

Harry snorted at her comment. "Don't you mean joined _by_ the hips?" he joked, but the grin quickly dropped from his face as he saw Hermione's glare. "Sorry."

"I just don't want my parents to think I've jumped into bed with somebody the first chance I got," she explained. "Remember how I said I wanted my first kiss to be on my first proper date?" Harry nodded. "Well this is no different. I fully intend to wait a while for my first time."

"Hey," Harry began as he reached up and pulled Hermione closer and into his chest, "I was just joking with you. I understand what you mean completely. And don't think I was trying to pressure you into anything."

Hermione breathed a sigh of relief as she melted into his chest. "Thanks Harry," she whispered.

Harry held her close for a few moments, reveling in the sensation of clutching her to his chest. But as he did so, he kept trying to push a nagging question back into the recesses of his mind. However, no matter how hard he tried, he just could not do it. "So how long is a while?" he asked with a grin.

Hermione sat up quickly. "Prat!" she laughed as she slapped him on the side of his arm.

"What?" he asked defensively.

"Now you are going to go down there and explain to my parents that it wasn't what they look like," she ordered smugly.

"Why me? You're the one who was screaming and carrying on the whole time! Why does it have to be me?"

"Because you're the one with smut on the brain, that's why."

"That doesn't even make any sense."

"It doesn't have to make sense to you. As long as it makes sense to me, that's good enough," she explained logically as she climbed off of the bed.

Fifteen minutes later, Harry padded down the stairs to find Richard and Ellen in the kitchen trading hushed whispers. However, those whispers immediately ceased as soon as Harry stepped into the room as both adults turned their attention, and slitted eyes, toward him.

"Good morning Harry," Ellen greeted curtly.

"Erm... good morning," Harry replied, reaching around to scratch the back of his head in nervousness. "Um..."

"Yes?" Ellen asked expectantly.

"Hermione wanted me to let you know-"

"Hermione wanted you to let us know?" Richard interrupted. "Oh, this is gonna be good. She sent you like a lamb to the slaughter then, did she?" Harry nodded. Richard leaned back in his chair at the table as a smile crept onto his face. "By all means then, continue. I can't wait to see what she's come up with."

"It wasn't what it looked like," Harry continued, his eyes fixed on Ellen. "We were just messing around."

"It certainly sounded like you were messing around," Richard muttered good-naturedly. "And how much am I supposed to read into that Harry? That Hermione is just someone you mess around with for fun? That your relationship is nothing serious?" he asked with a grin.

"No! I didn't mean..."

"Oh, so you weren't just messing around with Hermione upstairs then? I thought that's what you said you were doing though."

"No! I mean yes! I mean-"

"Relax, Harry," Ellen cut him off. "Richard's just being a right berk. If you say that nothing was going on up there, then that's good enough for us. Isn't it Richard?"

"Sure. Whatever you say dear," her husband replied.

"That's right-"

"Spoilsport," Richard added under his breath, still grinning.

"How did it go?" Hermione asked, walking into the kitchen. Three sets of eyes turned to her and the bright smile on her face.

"'How did it go?'" Harry repeated. "Next time I'll send you to do the dirty work. I'd rather face a hundred Basilisks... or some other unbeatable magical creature-"

"You mean like a chimera?" she supplied helpfully.

"Sure... I guess."

"A what?" Richard asked.

"A chimera. It actually goes back to an ancient mythical beast," she replied, launching into a lecture, "that is said to have a lion's head, a goat's body, the wings of a giant bird, and the head of a snake on its tail."

"Sounds lovely," Ellen remarked sarcastically. "Richard, can we get one? I've always wanted an exotic pet."

Hermione ignored her mother's sarcasm and pressed on. "At any rate, a chimera is said to be impossible to defeat... except in one instance. But the wizard who defeated it was killed when he fell to his death afterwards."

"And you keep these at your school?" Richard balked.

"No! But we learn about them in class. Although I'm sure Hagrid would jump at the chance to bring one to class if he could."

"He did try to raise a baby dragon," Harry muttered. "I wouldn't put it past him."

"What was that?" Richard asked.

"Nothing!" Harry answered quickly.

"Didn't sound like nothing."

"Anyway..." Harry said loudly, trying to change the subject. "What time is everybody coming over?"

"Around eleven," Ellen replied. "Lets us have a bit of time to talk and enjoy ourselves before eating."

"And you've already talked to Sirius about it?"

"Trust me Harry," Ellen began with a sly smile, "inviting him was one of the first things on my mind."

"I don't like the sound of that," Harry groaned.

"It's not that bad, honest!"

"Like I said last night, she has some crazy plan worked in her head," Richard explained.

"Which is?" Harry asked.

"For us to know and you to find out later," Ellen responded smugly. "Just take it as a surprise and move on."

"I don't like surprises. They always bring danger and possible death for me," Harry complained. "The Triwizard Tournament was a 'surprise.' Fighting a basilisk was a 'surprise.' Dementors chasing Dudley and me was a 'surprise.' So forgive me if I don't like surprises."

"Oh stop being so dramatic, Harry. It just sounds like you're grasping at straws for something to complain about!" Hermione chastised.

"What? It's true!"

"But this is a good surprise, trust me!" Ellen maintained. "And it's not really targeted at you, so you don't have anything to worry about."

* * *

><p><em>11:11 AM<em>

Sirius Black stumbled out of the fireplace into the Granger's sitting room and brushed the soot off of his shirt and trousers. Per Ellen's suggestion, he had dressed casually yet nicely, choosing a lightly pinstriped shirt set against a simple pair of jeans and had cut his hair much shorter. However, as soon as he stepped out of the fireplace, Harry was already needling him about his attire.

"Stripes Sirius?" he asked. "I thought you would have been tired of stripes after all those years in Azkaban."

"Har har, Harry," Sirius bit back. "All this time with the Grangers has made your wit slip. You didn't take advantage of that joke nearly as well as you could have."

"And how could I have done it better?"

"A Marauder never gives out his secrets Harry."

"In other words, I did a bloody good job but you just can't admit it, right?"

"Oh, Sirius must be here," Hermione called as she walked into the room. "I heard childish bickering, so that could only mean one thing."

"Mental, that one," Sirius muttered.

"What was that?" Hermione asked sweetly.

"I said your mental skills never cease to amaze me Hermione," he replied innocently.

"That's what I thought you said."

Harry and Sirius exchanged a knowing look as Hermione plowed on.

"Come on, everybody's in the back," she said.

"Everybody?" Sirius whispered to Harry as Hermione led the way through the kitchen toward the back door.

"Sirius," Harry began, "whatever you do, don't blame me for this."

"Uh oh. Harry I wasn't planning on blaming anything on you. But now that you said that, I can't help but blame you for whatever terrible thing is about to happen."

"Hey! _I_ don't even know what they're planning. But the fact that Richard and Ellen are keeping it a surprise from me means it can't be anything good. I just wanted to make sure you didn't think I was in on anything they were planning."

"Harry, I know you couldn't plan a good prank on your own anyway, so why would I think you were in on one?" Sirius joked.

Harry rolled his eyes as the three stepped through the door and into the Granger's spacious back yard. At about twenty meters square, the Grangers had been blessed with a remarkably large yard for the area, and had taken advantage of that by putting in a full lawn and swing toward the back fence with a gravel path leading from the house to the swing. The rest of the fully fenced yard was taken up by well-manicured grass and small flower beds in each corner.

A concrete pad extended out from the Granger home about five meters and stretched the length of the house. This is where Richard and Ellen were currently seated on a pair of wicker chairs, talking amicably with an older couple that bore striking resemblance to Ellen.

As Harry and Sirius stepped out of the house, Ellen's attention was drawn away from her conversation.

"Sirius, thanks for coming," she greeted. "Harry, Sirius, these are my parents Darlene and Basil Nethridge. They only just got here while Harry was waiting for you inside. Mum, dad, this is Hermione's boyfriend Harry Potter and his godfather Sirius Black."

"Oh, so this is the Harry we've heard so much about from Hermione ever since she went away to school," Darlene exclaimed, rising from her seat to hug Harry. Harry stood just taller than her five foot, six inch frame as she squeezed him tightly, reminding him of Molly Weasley. Harry's chin was buried in her slightly bushy silver hair as she hugged him, watching as her husband rose from his seat behind her.

"I think he's had quite enough," he told his wife as he stepped over. Basil Nethridge reminded Harry a bit of Richard, at least with regards to his imposing presence. However, he was slightly shorter than Richard but his piercing brown eyes intimidated Harry as they seemed to bore right down to his very soul. "So Harry, eh?" Harry nodded nervously. "Oh relax kid, I'm not gonna eat you!" He glanced over his shoulder at Richard and shook his head. "What've you done to this kid Richard? I haven't even done anything to him and he's already afraid of me!" He grasped Harry's hand tightly and shook it. "He must've really done a number on you to make you that nervous."

"It wasn't that bad, sir," Harry replied.

"Harry? Don't call me sir. He doesn't have you doing that too, does he? I knew there was something wrong with him from the moment Ellen brought him home years ago-"

"Hey!" Richard and Ellen cried at the same time.

"Relax you two! I was just joking. But in all seriousness Harry, welcome to the family. Any friend of Hermione's is sure welcome."

Releasing Harry's hand, Basil turned his attention to Sirius. "And then there's you," he said.

"And then there's me," Sirius repeated.

"I see you've got that prankster glint in your eye. Either that or my little speech to Harry here brought a tear to your eye. I can't decide which it is."

"Now that's kinda creepy that you're staring into my eyes," Sirius joked.

"Eh, my wife's gotten used to it," Basil said with a laugh, with which Sirius joined in.

"I like this guy!" he told Harry, gesturing to Basil. "Is that why you invited me here?" he asked Ellen. "To rub elbows with your dad?"

"If only..." Richard muttered in response. "But no," he added louder. "We're still waiting for that 'surprise.'"

"Oh, mysterious. I'm not too sure I should stick around if Richard here's afraid of what's coming."

"Oh stop being such a baby," Ellen chided. "It's not so bad. In fact, I really think you'll like what we're planning."

"We?" Richard balked. "I don't recall a 'we' coming up in any conversation!"

"Then your memory's faulty because you were just as involved in this as I was!"

"Um," Sirius interrupted, "as interesting as this conversation is to follow, it doesn't really make much sense to those of us who have no idea what you're talking about."

"Trust me, you'll find out soon..." Ellen trailed off as her eyes focused behind Sirius. "Actually, you'll find out right about... now."

Sirius spun around to see a woman step through the back door of the house and into the yard. Slightly taller than Ellen, she sported chestnut locks that just reached her jumper-clad shoulders. As she approached Ellen, she was engulfed by a tight hug.

"Christine! How's it going?" Ellen asked, hugging the newcomer.

"Like usual," Christine replied. "Looks like a lively party you've got here," she added sarcastically as she parted from Ellen and turned to survey the others.

"Hey Aunt Christine," Hermione greeted, waving slightly.

"'Aunt Christine?'" Sirius asked, eyeing Christine carefully.

"I know," Christine replied. "It's kinda hard to mistake me for my much uglier older sister here. But we don't get to choose our relatives, do we? And who might you be?"

"Black, Sirius Black," Sirius answered in a suave tone. "My godson-"

"Harry," Harry interrupted.

"Harry here, is seeing Hermione," Sirius continued undeterred.

"Harry?" Christine asked, glancing at Hermione. "You mean Harry, Harry?" Hermione nodded. "Well it's about time then! With how much you talked about the boy every summer I would've thought you'd jump the boy years ago!"

"Christine!" Ellen cried.

"What? I'm just telling it like it is!" She turned her attention back to Sirius. "She's been obsessed with him for years," she told him.

"Oh don't I know it?" Sirius responded. "Harry was the same way; never could figure her out completely until I eventually shoved them together."

"_You_ shoved us together?" Harry balked. "Now that's a bit of a lie if I've ever heard one."

"But it sure sounded good, didn't it?" Christine asked.

"Absolutely!" Sirius exclaimed. "Sounded mighty impressive if I do say so myself."

"Anyway," Ellen interrupted loudly. "Should we eat? Richard's been slaving over a hot barbecue for hours-"

"I'd hardly call it 'slaving' dear," he chimed in. "And if I recall, it hasn't really been hours either."

"Ignore him. Anyway everyone, the food's inside, but we can eat out here." As the guests moved to walk into the house, Ellen stopped them. "Wait!" she called. "Richard come here." Confused, her husband heeded her request. "And mum," Ellen added, reaching into her pocket and withdrawing her camera, "can you take a picture of us? We have entire too few pictures of us as a family with Hermione gone for most of the year."

"Oh of course dear," Darlene replied, taking the camera from her daughter. "Now everyone scoot together," she said, putting the camera to her eye and training it on Richard, Ellen, and Hermione.

"Harry," Ellen began, "you get over here too."

"Huh?" he asked. "Me?"

"Yes you. I don't remember having any other Harrys over here today."

"But I'm not in the family..."

"Rubbish. I know Hermione thinks you are, what with all she's talked about you over the years. So if it's good enough for her it's good enough for us. Now get your lazy bones over here!" she commanded with a chuckle.

Harry did as he was told and walked over to the trio, standing next to Hermione on the end. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and smiled for the camera as Darlene fiddled with the controls.

"How do you work this bloody thing?" she cursed.

"It's simple mum," Ellen groaned, rolling her eyes. "All you have to do is push the button. You're making it more complicated than it needs to be."

An instant later, a flash erupted from the camera as the picture was taken. Harry moved to break away from the others but was stopped by Darlene. "One more," she said, forcing Harry back into his pose. After another flash, Darlene pulled the camera away from her eyes. "Looks good."

Ellen took the camera away from her mother and glanced at the screen appreciatively. "Thanks mum," she said. "Now go inside and get something to eat before Sirius and Christine eat it all!"

Darlene followed Richard into the house to get something to eat, while Harry hung back near Ellen. Hermione, by default, stayed by Harry's side as he watched Sirius and Christine in the house.

"Don't tell me you're trying to set them up," Harry whispered to Ellen, still watching.

"What makes you think I'd do anything like that?" Ellen asked slyly.

"Because you tried to pull the same thing with Hermione and me. And there's also the fact that you just asked me a question in response to my question. I'm old enough to know that people do that when they don't want to lie, but don't want to admit something either."

"Looks like I've taught him well," Hermione observed, earning an eye roll from Harry. "Now he's smart enough to see through your ploys."

"Is it so wrong that I think he needs someone in his life?" Ellen asked.

"No," Harry answered. "But your sister?"

"Why not? Honestly I wouldn't normally have considered it, but if you really get to know her, you'll realize that she's not much different from him."

"You mean a smug womanizer?"

"Not quite, unless there's something that Christine's been hiding from me all these years. I'm talking about her entire demeanor. It's not much different from his, meaning that she's pretty sarcastic and a bit of a prankster. Lord knows I had plenty of experiences with that growing up."

"And you think that'd be a good fit for Sirius? I can just imagine two people like that getting into prank wars with each other and bantering to no end!" Harry argued.

"Which is why I think it's perfect," Ellen retorted.

"She's right Harry," Hermione opined. "I'm not sure that, after spending all those years in Azkaban, that Sirius would know how to handle a regular relationship well. If it's someone who's kind of similar to him then... well, it might work."

"Yes but that's only half the equation. She'dl be the Gred to his Forge. Can you really risk them turning their talents against us?"Harry asked, receiving a confused look from Ellen.

Meanwhile, inside the house, Sirius was helping himself to one of the handful of steaks that Richard had spent the morning preparing and grilling. As he hefted one onto a plate, he turned to the person waiting next to him.

"So Christine, what is it that you do?" he asked in an attempt to strike up a conversation as he moved to allow her access to the food.

"Forensic examiner," she replied instantly, popping a small slice of tomato in her mouth as she piled toppings onto her burger.

Richard glanced up to see the confused look on Sirius's face, which Christine had not noticed. Realizing that Sirius had no idea what a forensic examiner was, Richard leapt to the rescue. "Yeah," he began, "she really likes digging around crime scenes, trying to find that one little piece of evidence that could solve the entire case."

Christine shrugged at his comment. "Pays the bills," she said offhandedly.

"So it just sounds fun?" Sirius asked, playing along with Richard's explanation.

"You know, ever since they started showing television shows about forensics, people have this grand idea that it's all fun and games and that cases are solved in an hour or less. But that's not the case. It's not bad, but it can get tiring after a while of hitting nothing but dead ends over and over again. But you know how that is, don't you?"

"Erm... yeah," Sirius replied pathetically. "Actually," he corrected himself, "I can't really say that."

"Why?" she asked as the pair walked out the door and into the yard once again before each took a seat in one of the four patio chairs. "What do you do?"

"I'm... um... actually between jobs right now."

"With the way the economy is right now, doesn't surprise me. What did you use to do?"

"I was... in the prison business," Sirius said, congratulating himself silently at his cleverness. "Spent about thirteen years there before I finally managed to escape."

"Sounds wretched."

"Oh believe me, it was. Some of the guards there can almost suck the soul right out of you."

"Yeah, I get the same feeling from some of the people I work with too."

"Oh, but in this place you really felt like you were living out your worst nightmare day after day after day."

"So it was your choice to leave them then? I thought with all the budget cuts they it would have been the other way around."

Sirius shrugged. "Yeah, I just got tired of it after a while and had to break free."

"Makes sense. So then what have you been spending all your free time on since then?"

"Eh, just working around the house. I had kinda let it go over the last few years, so it needs some work. But I did go on holiday with Richard, Ellen, Harry and Hermione earlier in the summer-"

"Yeah, they told me about that. Vegas, wasn't it?"

"Quite a bit of fun that was. But now I realize that taking a couple of teens to Las Vegas isn't the best idea. There just isn't anything there for them to do normally. Of course, I still think they had a magical time, but I don't want to speak for them. I do know however that we managed to actually come back with more money than we left. The whole holiday was a real steal."

"But at least it was something different for Harry and Hermione to see, wasn't it? They still got to do things they've never done before, right?"

"Oh, absolutely," Sirius chuckled to himself. "They were really able to do things they'd never imagined doing before. In fact," he added, "Harry took Hermione to an opera for their first date. I never thought he had it in him, but it just goes to show that I don't really know him half as well as I'd like."

* * *

><p><em>2:39 PM<em>

"Do we really have to go back tomorrow?" Harry whined as he and Hermione sat on the grass next to each other, watching the adults converse on the terrace. After everybody had eaten, gifts had been exchanged, with Hermione's parents giving her a framed copy of the photograph they had taken of her and Harry before their first date.

Hermione looked at her wrist, feigning a glance at the watch that she was not wearing. "Well, you're certainly starting your complaining early," she observed, chuckling.

"Hey, I can't help it if I don't want to go back. Umbridge is still there; I want to stay as far away from her as possible. But what I'm talking about is that this summer has been the best of my life so far. I just don't want it to end."

"Mmm..." she agreed, scooting into his side, "it has been rather nice hasn't it?"

Harry snorted. "I think it's been a bit better than 'rather nice.' We went on holiday, had a bit of fun screwing over Lucius Malfoy, and even..."

"Realized we were stupid for not realizing what was right in front of us?" she supplied helpfully.

"Well..." Harry began with a smile, "I was gonna put it a different way, but that works too."

As he finished speaking, Harry glanced over at Sirius and Christine, who were still seated next to each other, deep in conversation. The pair had not moved from the seats that they had taken hours before, and their empty plates still rested on their laps. Never good a lip reading, Harry was unable to make out what they were talking about. However, Sirius's exaggerated hand motions indicated that he was heavily involved in whatever he was talking about.

"She doesn't know about the magical world you know," Hermione pointed out.

"Huh?" Harry asked, jolted out of his observations.

"Aunt Christine. She doesn't know about the magical world. And neither do my grandparents. We kinda kept that a secret from the rest of the family since we weren't sure how they would take it. They just assume I go to some private school for the gifted-"

"You do. You're about as gifted as they come."

"And who was it who drove off a hundred Dementors with a single patronus?"

"Eh, that's not important," Harry replied, brushing his nails on his shirt. "I'm talking about you being smarter than the rest of our class put together."

"Oh, so you're only interested in my brain?"

"Bugger, you figured it out!" Harry joked, snapping his fingers in mock disappointment.

"That's my brain at work."

"Your big, sexy brain," he corrected. "But honestly, that's not the entire reason-"

"I know that! I was just joking with you!" Hermione laughed. But her laugh was cut short as she turned her attention back to Sirius and Christine. "Oh no," she groaned. "Don't tell me..."

"What?" Harry asked, as he followed her gaze. He watched as Sirius and Christine rose from their seats and moved toward the side gate. "You've gotta be kidding me..." He jumped to his feet and bolted after Sirius and Christine, catching up to them in an instant. "Where're you going?" he asked.

"Just... out," Sirius replied. "It's starting to get late, so we thought that we wouldn't force Richard and Ellen to feed us again-"

"Sirius," Harry interrupted, "it's not even three o'clock. It's not getting late. You've always been a terrible liar, at least as long as I've known you. So come on; where are you going?"

"Like I said cub, we're going out. Didn't think it would be right to burden Richard and Ellen by staying for supper-"

"Which is a couple of hours away yet," Harry pointed out with a grin.

"Well... we just..."

"Sirius?"

"Yes Harry?"

"Have fun." With that, he turned and left the pair alone, a smile plastered on his face. He returned to Hermione who had stayed on the grass, watching as Harry had confronted his godfather.

"So?" she asked as he sat back down next to her.

"They're going 'out.'" Harry told her, using finger quotes on the last word.

"Blast," Hermione cursed under her breath. "Mum managed to pull it off."

"What was that?"

"Oh, I was just cursing my mum for managing to put those two together."

"Hey! They're not together yet!" Harry cried. "They're just getting to know each other!"

Hermione laughed. "Do you really have that little faith in Sirius?" she asked. "You've seen how suave he tries to act. Knowing Aunt Christine, she's gonna be eating out of the palm of his hand by the end of the day."

"Well, at least I won't have to see that," Harry replied. "We'll be at Hogwarts by this time tomorrow. But I'd almost rather watch Sirius stumble around with her than go back and face The Umbitch."

Hermione wrapped her arm around him and rubbed his back comfortingly. "Hey, it's not that bad," she reassured him. "A lot of great stuff happened this summer, so I'm sure some of that will carry over into this school term too."

"I'm sorry if I don't share your optimism."

"What do I have to do to convince you? Trust me Harry; I think this year is going to be a nice, quiet year."

End of Prologue

A/N: I want to welcome all of you to Killing Time. This story is a direct sequel to Stealing Time, but reading that story is not required. While I do recommend it for several reasons, including that it provides better background for Killing Time than this prologue, it is not necessary to read it. This prologue serves as a bridge between Stealing Time and Killing Time, providing a back story that links the two together. In fact, it was originally developed as its own one-shot to be posted between the two stories. In that respect, it is not entirely linked to the rest of Killing Time, but does provide a good introduction to the characters and universe. What I can promise you is an interesting ride as we explore the consequences of the events of Stealing Time. I hope all of you will join us on that ride.

One thing that I do want to mention to those of you who have not read Stealing Time is that the dates in both stories are current dates. For several plot reasons (including some that were discarded during the writing process) all canon dates were moved forward 15 years. I will be able to lay out the full picture for why this is the case at the end of this story, when I discuss the entirety of the plot of this series. But for now, rest assured that I am aware that this point in canon takes place in 1996. These two stories however, do not.

Many of you who read this chapter are returning readers; readers who read Stealing Time and have come back for the sequel. But I also realize that many of you are also new to this story. For you, I do want to mention that there is a running theme with the titles of the chapters. In both Stealing Time and Killing Time, every chapter is named after a Queen song. Because this theme allows chapter names to be somewhat predictable, we played a game in the last story. At the end of every chapter, I will post a hint as to the title of the next chapter, with the intention that each reader will hazard a guess about the title in a review. Correct guesses will be recognized in the next chapter, and scores will be kept and posted at the end of the story. We did this with Stealing Time, and luvsanime02 was the winner, guessing 15 out of the 21 chapter titles correctly. So... how many can you guess?

I do want to congratulate the following members who correctly guessed the title of this prologue in their review at the end of Stealing Time: osc630, luvsanime02, Nodoka Miyazawa, Victoria LeRoux, and acam. Thank you all for your reviews and guesses. Remember, if you want to see your name here in the next chapter, all you have to do is review and leave your best guess!

**Chapter Title Hint:** This song, off of the _Made in Heaven_ album, is simply a collection of singer Freddie Mercury's practice sessions on the piano. It is also one of only a handful of songs in the Queen catalog whose title appears as the title of two songs, and its title serves as a nice beginning to the story proper.

Once again, I must thank all of you for reading this story. At this point in the story, I do not have much to say with regards to the plot itself, other than that it will take a different tone from this prologue. But that is all in the future. For now, please leave us a review and let us know what you think of this first chapter. As of this point in time, Stealing Time has received approximately 176,000 hits, for which I have you to thank. It has also received 370 reviews, and my goal is to knock that out of the park with Killing Time. If you would like to receive updates regarding the future of this story, especially as we start to get moving, please add it to your Story Alerts or Favorite Story list. At any rate, barring any unforeseen circumstances, inVale and I are planning to post new material on Fridays. So my friend inVale hope you enjoyed the prologue to this story and hope you enjoy the rest of the story as it unfolds.


	2. It's a Beautiful Day

Chapter 1

**It's a Beautiful Day**

_December 23, 2011_

_8 AM_

_Ministry of Magic, London, UK_

Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge stepped off of the lift on level one of the Ministry building and onto the plush violet carpets that adorned the hall leading to his office. On either side of the wide hall was an array of brilliantly polished mahogany doors, each leading to offices belonging to various members of the Ministry's executive staff. However the door that Fudge was interested in, his, was at the end of the hall some fifteen meters ahead.

Fudge pulled out his pocket watch to check the time as he reached for the door handle, finding that his day was starting a minute late. He snorted quietly as he tucked away the watch, reminding himself that his staff worked according to his schedule and not the other way around.

As he opened the door and stepped into the spacious reception area just outside his office, his Junior Assistant leapt to his feet and scrambled around his small desk in the corner of the room.

"Good morning Minister," he greeted hurriedly, clutching a stack of parchment between his left arm and torso.

"Ah, Weatherby," Cornelius replied with the wrong name, "let's have the news, shall we?" He walked toward the door to his office, located just past Percy Weasley's desk.

"Uh, of course Minister Fudge," Percy obeyed quickly, shuffling the pages around as the pair stepped into the Minister's office. "The Aurors were called to Diagon Alley last night on a public disturbance call. This time the person claimed that he had seen... You-Know-Who in Las Vegas."

"Another one?" Fudge asked as he sat in the large, black, wingback swivel chair behind his massive mahogany desk. Percy took a seat in one of the smaller black armchairs that bordered the massive seal of the Ministry of Magic embroidered into the carpet. "That makes two this week alone! When will these people learn that You-Know-Who has been dead for years?"

"You are absolutely right, Minister-"

"Of course I'm right! There's no evidence other than what that old codger Dumbledore and that brat Potter say! They want nothing more than the defeat of the Ministry I tell you! That's what they're after!"

"Absolutely, Minister."

Fudge huffed silently as he turned in his chair to look out the spectacular window behind him, overlooking the rest of the Ministry building below. "What else do you have for me Willoughby?"

Once again, Percy ignored the Minister's mistake. "O.W.L. results for Hogwarts as a whole have been studied and released. Apparently, they set a new record for Defense Against the Dark Arts scores this year."

"Wonderful! Get a press release sent out to the Prophet right away. Weaselberry! Write this down!" Percy dutifully reached over and grabbed a quill from the side table next to his chair. "Thanks to the dedication and reforms of Senior Undersecretary to the Minister and Hogwarts Headmistress Delores Umbridge, Hogwarts Defense Against the Dark Arts scores reached a new record for the 2011 term. In a statement, Minister for Magic applauded her work and reiterated his belief that a good education is the cornerstone of our society."

As Percy scribbled away, Fudge steepled his fingers and put them to his nose in thought as he stared out the window.

"Anything else, Minister?" Percy's voice called from behind him, signaling the completion of his writing.

"Get that sent to the press office so that they can pad it a bit more. We need to make sure everybody reads this, especially with the election coming up next year."

"Yes, Minister. Oh, and there are a few other issues."

"Yes?" Fudge asked impatiently, turning around in his chair to face Percy.

"Ambassador Hopskim at the Department of Magical Cooperation-"

"Yes, yes, I know who he is."

"Yes, of course. He says that he has made a breakthrough in negotiations with the Centaurs. He says that, while they have not come to a final agreement, they have agreed to send their ambassador to the Ministry for final negotiations regarding territory rights in the Forbidden Forest."

"Good, save that news for closer to the election. We can get the news about the Defense scores out now, and then tell the public that we're making Hogwarts and the surrounding area safer for their kids. They'll eat it up!"

"Yes Minister."

"Don't you say anything else besides 'yes Minister?'"

"I-"

"Forget it. Get those notes to the press office right away then start setting up for the negotiations with the Centaurs. I want to be in on those personally."

Percy nodded feverishly as he jumped to his feet and made his way to the door. "Oh and one other thing I forgot," he said, pausing just before the door.

"Yes sir?"

"The DMLE wanted me to pass along a message saying that some kind of special project has been completed. They wouldn't tell me what it was, but I just wanted to tell you," he added with an air of importance.

Fudge did not respond immediately as a smile crept onto his face. "That'll be all Wolseley," he said, dismissing Percy.

With a nod Percy opened the door and left the Minister's office, leaving his boss alone with his thoughts.

* * *

><p><em>8:13 AM<em>

_Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_

"Harry get up! We're gonna be late for class!"

Harry Potter cracked open a single eye to see his best friend Ron Weasley standing impatiently next to his bed. "Ron, it's only Defense," Harry groaned. "Who cares if we're late?"

"Who cares?" Ron balked. "Your girlfriend perhaps? You, the one who's probably been ready and waiting down in the common room for the last fifteen minutes? I for one don't want to put up with her nagging today! That's why I'm getting you up you prat!"

"You haven't gone down there yet?"

"You think I'm gonna go down there and deal with her myself? Talk about walking into the lion's den! You're her boyfriend, that's your job!"

Harry groaned as he threw his legs over the side of the bed and grabbed his glasses from the nightstand. Aside from Ron, the rest of the sixth year Gryffindor boy's dormitory was empty. "Where is everybody?" he asked as he stood up and stretched.

"I told you, we're bloody late! They're all down eating breakfast by now! You should be glad that I was willing to sacrifice my breakfast to wake you up late. I didn't have to do that, you know!"

"I never asked you to," Harry retorted.

"But somebody has to look out for your sorry arse! It's not my fault that you were out until all hours with Hermione doing Merlin knows what! It was bloody nice of me to let you get a few extra minutes of sleep! And what could you have possibly been doing with her that late anyway? Wandering around the castle? I doubt it. I'm sure you two found a nice cozy empty classroom to-"

"Ron!"

"What?" Ron asked innocently, grinning broadly. "Naturally you guys'd be doing things like that. She's your girlfriend-"

"And your friend," Harry reminded him.

Ron shrugged as Harry grabbed a clean shirt and pair of trousers as he made his way to out of the dormitory and onto the stairs. "I'm gonna grab a quick shower," he announced as he climbed the stairs toward the boys bath at the top.

"And you're gonna make me go down to the common room with... her?" Ron asked in horror.

"Well, its either that or you join me in the shower. But that would look kinda weird wouldn't it? Especially to my girlfriend?"

"Fine," Ron grunted as he turned and headed down the stairs.

Harry shook his head as he continued to climb the stairs. In truth, he and Hermione had been out late the night before, sneaking around the castle together as they had grown accustomed to a few times per week. Hiding under Harry's invisibility cloak gave them almost foolproof privacy wherever they went while hiding from Filch and the prefects gave them the extra fun and excitement that the most recent school term had been lacking. But contrary to Ron's accusations, they had not stopped off in any empty classrooms for anything more than some heavy snogging.

Harry's reminiscing carried him through the entirety of his shower and to the base of the stairs in the common room. He glanced at the large grandfather clock in the corner of the room to find that he had made good time, taking just over five minutes to shower and get ready.

As soon as Harry stepped off of the last stair, Ron rose from the sofa that he had been occupying.

"She's not down here," he announced.

"Thanks for pointing that out," Harry joked as he looked around the room. Sure enough, he and Ron were the only occupants. "She's always down here waiting for me."

Ron shrugged. "She probably got tired of waiting and went on to class. You know how she is about wanting to get there on time."

"Yeah," Harry replied uncertainly.

"Oh come on, Harry. You just saw her last night. What harm is an extra few minutes gonna do you? She went down to get breakfast and go to class. We'll see her in a few minutes. Did you get everything?"

Harry nodded and patted his bag which contained, among other things, the Marauder's Map. Ever since their return to school a few months before, the trio had taken to carrying the Map wherever they went inside the castle in an attempt to avoid the Inquisitorial Squad. After their problems with them during the previous term, Harry and the others were taking no chances.

"Forget using the map today," Harry said as the two stepped through the portrait hole. "Let's just get to class as soon as possible."

"A bit anxious to see the girlfriend are we?" Ron goaded.

"Oh shut up!" Harry laughed. "You would be too if you could find a girl who would put up with you!"

"Hey! That's not fair!" Ron cried.

"Well, you're the one who started it. What's wrong? You can dish it out but you can't take it?"

"I've got girls who like me!"

"Who? Like Lav-lav?" Harry mocked, swooning.

"There are others..."

"Like who? I think I remember Hermione saying last term that she doesn't see a line of witches lining up for you either!"

"There you go again! Can't you say anything without bringing her into it?"

"What? The truth hurts, doesn't it?" Harry laughed.

"Just you wait, Harry. One of these days you're gonna turn around and see me with some beauty hanging off my arm."

"You mean drugged and holding on for support, right?"

"Where do you keep coming up with responses like that?"

"I spent my summer with Sirius, remember? I guess it just kinda rubs off on you after a while."

As Harry finished speaking, he and Ron rounded the final corner approaching the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom.

"Just you remember, Harry," Ron reminded him, "you owe me big time for missing breakfast. Oh, the perils of being a wingman..." With that, he took off, running toward the classroom door laughing.

Harry took off in pursuit, bursting through the open door and skidding to a stop just inside.

"Ten points from Gryffindor for each of you for running in a classroom," a sickly sweet voice purred from behind him as Harry slowed.

"And it was starting to be such a nice morning," Harry muttered as he made his way to an empty seat, not turning to face the speaker. He was in no mood to deal with Umbridge's antics today. Walking into the classroom he noticed that most of the front seats were taken as the rest of the joint Gryffindor and Hufflepuff class had already arrived, so Harry followed Ron to a pair of empty seats toward the back of the room. Ron took a seat to Harry's left, while Harry looked over to see Lavender Brown to his right.

As Delores Umbridge walked quietly to the front of the room, Harry took the opportunity to look around. The occupants of the room appeared to have separated themselves according to house with most of the Hufflepuffs sitting on the left side of the room while the Gryffindors clustered on the right. But despite the fact that the students were neatly organized by house, Harry was unable to find Hermione anywhere.

"Now everyone," Umbridge began, "please open your text to page 581. Today we'll end the term by reading about the stinging hex and how to defend ourselves against it. Remember a dark wizard, should one ever arise, will utilize many nasty spells against you including the stinging hex."

Harry snorted in disbelief. _The stinging hex?_ he thought. _What's next? Defending ourselves against the raging torrent of Aguamenti?_ However elementary he may have thought the subject matter to be, Harry followed the professor's instructions and pulled out his book. At the same time, he pulled out a blank piece of parchment and a quill.

As Umbridge droned on at the front of the class, extolling the virtues of a good defense against common childhood spells, Harry set to work on his parchment. He scribbled away furiously, not looking up to spare a glance to the professor that had overtaken Severus Snape as his least favorite faculty member. After a moment, Harry put down his quill and folded up the parchment into a small, tight square.

Glancing around to make sure that Umbridge was not around, Harry reached over and tossed his note onto Lavender's desk to his right.

Lavender felt something bump her elbow as she diligently transcribed every word Umbridge said. Her attention drawn away from the lecture, she looked down to see a tightly folded piece of parchment on her desk. Putting down her quill, she quickly grabbed the parchment and unfolded it under her desk, scooting back slightly in her chair to get a better view as she read.

_Do you know where Hermione's at?_

_Harry  
><em>

Lavender rolled her eyes as she read Harry's note. Ever since Harry and Hermione had become a couple over the summer they had been inseparable. She realized that if Harry did not know where Hermione was for a few minutes, he must be lost. With a shake of her head, she put the note onto her desk and wrote her reply before folding the note once more and tossing it back to Harry.

Harry hid the note under his desk as Lavender had before reading her response.

_She wasn't in the dorm this morning when I woke up. Actually, I didn't see her last night either. You didn't have anything to do with that did you? Anyway, I haven't seen her all morning but that's not that odd; she always used to go to the library early in the morning.  
><em>

Harry placed the note on the desk inside his open book before reaching into his bag and pulling out the Marauder's Map. If Lavender thought that Hermione was in the library that would be the first place he would check. But Harry still found it odd that Hermione would skip class to stay in the library, even if it was Defense with Umbridge.

He unfolded the map and placed it on his desk before picking up his quill as though he was going to write. He then hunched over the map closely before whispering, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

Instantly, the parchment filled with a detailed map of Hogwarts, complete with the location of every person in the castle. Harry dropped his quill and hid the map under his desk before beginning his search. Immediately, his eyes went to the library as Lavender had suggested. However, the only labels he found there belonged to Madam Pince and a handful of other students who were lucky enough to not have class at that moment.

Perplexed, Harry continued to search the map feverishly, checking every place he could think of including the dungeons and dormitories of the other houses. But he found no sign of Hermione.

Frustrated, Harry moved to begin his search anew in the hopes that he had simply missed Hermione. But suddenly, he felt a sharp crack against the back of his skull, causing him to swivel around in anger.

"Detention, Potter," Umbridge announced sweetly yet firmly from behind him, tapping her wand against her open palm. "Six o'clock, my office. And bring that parchment with you."

"Excuse me?" Harry asked glaring up at her.

"Detention, Potter," she repeated, moving to the side of his desk and picking up his note to Lavender. "Passing notes in class... tsk, tsk. I think some lines are in order, don't you?" She smiled sickeningly at him. "Class, shall we see what Mr. Potter here has been writing about?" She did not wait for a response. "'Do you know where Hermione's at?' Oh, I see. Missing your girlfriend are you, Potter? I see. A terrible thing, really since you two really do see so little of each other. But now that you mention it, I did notice that Ms. Granger was not with us today. It must be quite difficult for you, being away from her. Perhaps then she should join you in writing lines?"

"No!" Harry cried, rising from his seat in anger. He refused to let Hermione be subjected to Umbridge's blood quill.

"Fifty points from Gryffindor!" Umbridge barked. "And sit back down! I will not have you disturbing my class, Mr. Potter! Your detention has been extended for the duration of the Christmas holidays. You will remain here under my supervision."

"Like hell I will," Harry muttered as he slammed his book closed and shoved it in his bag before slinging it over his shoulder. "I'm done with you," he announced as he left his desk.

"Mate," Ron whispered. "Where're you going?"

"I'm done here and I'm done with her. I'm going to find Hermione," he replied before turning his back and walking toward the door.

"You will address me by my title, Mr. Potter!" Umbridge bellowed after him. "I am a Professor here, not to mention the Headmistress! You will show me proper respect! And if you leave this classroom, I will see you expelled! If you don't want me to report you to the Ministry, you will sit back down and we will discuss your behavior tonight."

Harry paused in front of the door, his hand resting on the handle.

"Professor?" he said in a sweet tone.

"What is it Mr. Potter?"

"Fuck you."

With that, he wrenched open the door and stormed out of the classroom.

End of Chapter 1

A/N: Thank you all for the positive response to the prologue for this story. But now it is time to get into the meat of the story itself. This inspiration for this story may become obvious to many of you, especially those of you living in the United States, as the story unfolds. But for now just know that this is only the tip of the iceberg. Right now, Killing Time is planned to be longer than Stealing Time, at least in terms of the number of chapters. I cannot accurately predict word count at this point, as I am currently only writing chapter 5 ( or chapter 6 if you count the prologue). I can say that this chapter will be one of the shortest ones in the story as we begin to ramp up in a manner similar to Stealing Time.

One thing I do want to mention is that the pacing of this story will be different from that of Stealing Time, or at least that is my intention. To illustrate this point, I received a review today that, while not harsh, mentioned that Stealing Time was plodding. I hope to avoid that with this story, which should be faster paced and more action-oriented without losing the atmosphere of Stealing Time. That may be a tall order, but I hope to be able to walk that fine line.

I do want to congratulate the following reviewers for correctly guessing the title of this chapter:

luvsanime02

osc630

Kingswriter

acam

Victoria LeRoux

While not a great turnout, every person who guessed was correct. I do hope that more of you reading this story will play the game too and give these members a run for their money. In order to make things a bit more interesting, I am going to try and make the hints slightly more difficult in the near-term by not mentioning album titles.

**Chapter Title Hint:** This song is perhaps one of the more controversial in the Queen catalog, as evidenced by the fact that its music video was at one time banned by MTV in the United States. The music video also features bassist John Deacon reading a newspaper whose headline is "They Never Had it so Good."

While I hope that the usual suspects will be able to guess this chapter correctly, I encourage each and every one of you reading this story to hazard a guess. All you have to do is leave a review, either signed or anonymous, and you could see your name up in lights (or at least in black text) at this point in the next chapter. Who out there has what it takes to win the competition?

At this point in the story I do not have much to discuss, so I will once again thank all of you for reading. Please leave a review and let me know what you think of this chapter or the story in particular. I will see you again soon with chapter 2!


	3. I Want to Break Free

Chapter 2

**I Want to Break Free **

_9 AM_

_Hogwarts_

The instant Harry left the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom a massive roar erupted as the joint Gryffindor and Hufflepuff class broke into applause and cheers at Harry's defiance. Umbridge stood at the front of the class dumbstruck at Harry's repudiation of her authority but as the situation began to sink in, her lips began to curl into a wicked grin. Ron noticed this evil smirk quickly and paused his applause.

"What's with that look?" Ron asked, leaning over to Seamus to his left. But any answer from the Irish Gryffindor was cut off by Umbridge's squeaky voice.

"Silence!" she commanded as best she could amidst the chaos in her classroom. But her students did not heed her command out carried on their own conversations. "I said silence!" she repeated louder, but to no avail.

"We're done listening to you!" one student yelled, standing from his seat. Cries of agreement rose from his fellow students. Apparently Harry's outburst had set off a chain reaction among the students.

"Detention then, all of you!" Umbridge barked. "You'll all be staying over the Christmas holidays!"

"Like hell we will!" another student piped up, this time a Hufflepuff named Brian Yorrow.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me! I'm done with you! You've taught us nothing since you've been here! You-Know-Who is back and you have us reading sodding textbooks!" Brian jumped to his feet and grabbed his belongings. Grumbles of assent rose from the rest of the students in the room as the Hufflepuff moved toward the door.

"If you believe his lies then you will share in Mr. Potter's fate! He will have the Aurors after him for truancy if he decides to leave the castle. Is that something you want as well?"

"You expect me to believe that the Aurors will arrest me for leaving class? I've passed my O.W.L.s! I can do whatever I want! So guess what? I'm leaving!" he announced.

A smattering of other students follows his lead, rising from their seats and making their way toward the exit. As more and more students left the classroom, more and more followed suit.

"I'll see you all expelled!" Umbridge yelled shakily, brandishing her wand threateningly but failing to use it.

Finally, the last student stood and walked to the door. "You know, at least Harry had the bollocks to stand up to you and start a club to actually teach us something last year. You've done nothing. So good luck expelling all of us," Ron told her with a smirk as he stormed out of the room, leaving the gobsmacked Headmistress alone in her classroom.

* * *

><p><em>9:04 AM<em>

_London, U.K._

Auror Alex Moore threw herself onto her sofa and sighed heavily. After another long night on duty, she was spent and in need of a long day's sleep. Most of her nights were spent patrolling various areas of Knockturn Alley, looking for any sort of illegal or shady activity that could be prosecuted. Most nights she would find a handful of illegal potion dealers or narcotic smugglers trying to make a quick galleon off of desperate young witches and wizards. The former infraction usually resulted in a fine but arrests for the latter were usually the high point of Alex's nights. Unfortunately, she had been unable to make any such arrests this past night as most of her time had been occupied by a special project passed down from Minister Fudge.

When she had arrived for her shift at just after midnight, Auror Moore was sworn to secrecy. Everything she saw and did that night was an order from the highest authority and should be treated as such. Any leak was punishable by prosecution, so Alex knew that the situation was delicate.

As the blonde sank into her sofa and kicked her feet up on the ottoman, she pulled her wand out of her pocket and tossed it on the table next to her. The twenty six year old then fished around in her pocket for her other belongings, intent on emptying them before relaxing. However, she froze as soon as she reached into her front left pocket.

"Dammit," she swore as she jumped to her feet and rummaged through her pockets once more. Normally she kept her Auror identification card hanging out of her front pocket while she was on duty. But she could not find it. The only time she could have lost it was when she was on that special assignment...

* * *

><p><em>9:10 AM<em>

_Hogwarts_

"You had better have a good reason for pulling me out of class Mr. Potter," Minerva McGonagall scolded, following Harry into the hall outside of her classroom, closing the door behind herself.

"Hermione's missing," Harry said quickly as he led the way away from the classroom.

Minerva rolled her eyes and sighed. "That's your emergency?" she asked. "I'm certain that she is in the library-"

"During class?" Harry interrupted. "I doubt it. Besides, I checked the map and she she's not on it anywhere."

"What map?"

"You know... _the_ map. The one my father and Sirius used to have when they were at Hogwarts?" As he was talking, Harry was leading Minerva away from her classroom and toward Gryffindor Tower, his fast pace making her rush to keep up.

"Yes I am aware of that map Mr. Potter. I was simply unaware that you were in possession of that particular item. And you say that Ms. Granger was not on it anywhere?"

"That's what I said!" Harry shouted. "She wasn't on there at all! And she wasn't there to meet me this morning like she usually is! Lavender even said that she hadn't seen Hermione all morning! That's got to mean something!"

"Watch your tone Mr. Potter," Minerva warned with a scowl as the pair approached the portrait of the Fat Lady. "I am also not certain why you are taking me to Gryffindor Tower."

"I need you to let me into the girl's dormitory! I need to see if there's anything wrong up there!"

Minerva gave Harry a sad smile as she gave the password to the Fat Lady. "Mr. Potter, I have heard many excuses from young wizards for going into the girl's dormitory, but nothing like the tale you have woven. Under normal circumstances Mr. Potter, I would never consider such a request..."

"But these aren't normal circumstances! I'm not sure where else to start looking for her! I mean, I doubt she snuck off to Hogsmeade during class, especially before the other girls woke up. So I just thought we'd check up there!"

"And what do you expect to find up there?" Minerva asked calmly. "By your own admission she has not been seen in the dormitory all day. Why should she be up there now?"

"I don't know! But where else am I supposed to start looking?" In his anger, Harry did not notice that Minerva had stopped walking and instead he began to climb the stairs to the girls dormitory. He managed to make it up the first few steps before they turned into a glassy slide and Harry found himself lying on his back at Minerva's feet.

"Sometimes Mr. Potter one makes foolish mistakes in their haste. Now," she continued, offering her hand to Harry to help him to his feet, "can I trust you to remain level headed and calm if we go up there?" Harry nodded feebly as Minerva stepped onto the stairs. "Then follow me please. The stairs will not change if a faculty member is on them."

Stepping tentatively onto the stairs, Harry followed Minerva up the staircase and into the sixth year girls dormitory. As soon as they stepped inside, Harry was struck by how similar the room was to his own dormitory. While he was not sure what he was expecting to be different, he could not help but be somewhat disappointed at the similarity.

"Alright Mr. Potter," Minerva began. "We are here. Now what did you want to look for?"

Instead of answering, Harry wandered around the room, examining each bed to determine which one was Hermione's. As opposed to the boy's dormitory, every bed was neatly made. "Which bed is Hermione's?" he asked.

Minerva, however did not answer, and instead surveyed the room with a scowl etched on her face. "Mr. Potter," she began, getting his attention, "please step aside."

Harry glanced over his shoulder at her and noted the serious look on her face before complying.

"Finite," she said with a flick of her wand. Instantly, another bed seemed to materialize out of thin air, taking its place amidst the others in a location that Harry had failed to notice.

"Where'd that come from?" he asked in confusion.

"A Notice-Me-Not charm," Minerva explained quietly, causing Harry to turn his attention back to Minerva. "And a well cast one too."

"And how... where did you... what made you even think to do that?"

"After many decades of teaching students, including your father and godfather, I have learned to spot Notice-Me-Not charms. You would be surprised at how many students think they can hide something from me with such a simple charm."

But as she finished speaking, Harry turned his attention back to the new bed. "Whose bed is that?" he asked, pointing at the new bed whose sheets were disheveled and pillows strewn about.

"Miss Granger's," Minerva replied quietly, taking stock of the bed and its surroundings.

"Is her bed normally this messy?" Harry asked rhetorically, knowing from his summer with the Grangers that Hermione never left her bed in such a state.

"No," came the unnecessary reply as Minerva watched Harry move to examine the bed closer.

Harry fell to his hands and knees as he peered under the bed, trying to find any clue as to why Hermione's bed was suddenly so messy. Minerva watched as Harry suddenly reached under the bed, stretching and pressing his body against the side of the bed to reach further underneath.

"What are you trying to reach?" she asked as Harry began to withdraw his arm.

As Harry stood up, his hand came into view. Grasped tightly in his fist was a wand which, by Minerva's approximation was made of vinewood.

"Is that..."

"Hermione's wand," Harry finished for her, shifting his gaze to the object in his hand. "Still think she's wandered off somewhere?" Minerva did not answer. "She would never leave her wand behind. Never."

"No... you're right," Minerva whispered.

Harry's attention, meanwhile, had turned to the nightstand next to Hermione's bed. The top of the nightstand was covered in broken glass and various scattered accessories, along with a single picture frame that was resting on its face. Gently, Harry picked up the frame, dropping yet more broken glass as he did so. He couldn't help but stare as Hermione and himself smiled back from the ruined frame despite the tiny glass scratches covering the picture. It was the same picture that Hermione had received from her parents before returning to Hogwarts and had kept on her nightstand since the first day of term; the same picture of the two taken before their date on Harry's birthday.

"Who else can get in here?" Harry demanded, staring at the static image of his missing girlfriend.

"The Sixth Year Gryffindor girls and staff members exclusively."

"And the House Elves," Harry added before searching her blankets.

"You cannot possibly expect that House Elves would be so offended by her attempts to free them as to orchestrate this?"

"I'd like to believe that more than this," Harry said quietly as he pulled an object free from under the nightstand. Dangling from a short metal chain was a small badge, listing a number and rank.

"Aurors? But they are not to enter Hogwarts without permission of the Headmistress..." Minerva whispered, slowly coming to terms with the implications of what she had just said.

"Then she'd know! You'll have to ask her, since she'd never tell me anything!" Harry increasingly realized how true that would be after his class today.

"I do not believe that would be wise Mr. Potter."

"I-what do you mean it wouldn't be wise? Hermione was kidnapped! We have to find her!"

"I most certainly agree but you must think Mr. Potter. Dolores Umbridge most certainly would not say a word of this to you, or any of your sympathizers such as myself. You will have to seek alternative routes."

"What would you have me do then? Go to the library and study it out?" Harry shot back more harshly than he intended.

"Mr. Potter! I understand you are distraught but act rationally and mind your tongue. I cannot leave this castle alone to the machinations of Dolores Umbridge lest I be replaced in my absence. You, Mr. Potter, could certainly leave due to personal issues in the family. Presuming, of course, you had permission from your Head of House."

"And do I, Professor?"

"You do. Gather your belongings Mr. Potter. I would advise you to speak to young miss Nymphodra. She may be capable of shedding light on precisely why that badge appeared inside this castle... and to whom it belongs."

"But how am I gonna get out of here?" Harry asked.

"Be at my office within the half-hour. You may floo out from my fireplace. Now, let's not have you tarry in the girls' dormitory. It is.. unseemly." Harry nodded and followed the Transfiguration professor through the door and onto the stairs.

Harry and Minerva descended the stairs from the girls dormitory but stopped short as soon as they reached the common room. Standing there at the foot of the stairs was the entirety of the sixth year Gryffindor class that had been present in Harry's Defense class. Led by Ron and other members of Dumbledore's Army, the students looked up at Harry expectantly, as if waiting for him to say something.

"There are no rules against students conversing in the Common room," Minerva cautioned, "but you must excuse me lest something occur which I do have the _authority_ to punish." She swept out of the room as the students hooted in mirth, their anger temporarily put aside.

"Well mate?" Ron asked, breaking the silence.

"Well what?" Harry replied.

"What'd you find out? We all know you were looking for Hermione, so what'd you find out?"

"It was that sodding toad Umbridge!" Harry spat

"C'mon Harry, you heard her in class today. She's a piece of work but she didn't seem to know Hermione was gone," Ron reasoned, showing rare insight.

"Nobody else could let Aurors into Hogwarts," Harry said, holding up the badge as hushed whispers grew into outrage.

"B-but what are we going to do?" Ron stuttered, finally realizing the severity of the situation.

"I'm going to find Hermione. You're going to stay here."

"She might be your girl mate, but she's my friend. I'm coming too."

"And leave who in charge of the DA? You're my second, I need you here." At Harry's words, Ron puffed up in pride. Harry suddenly wondered if he was making the right choice. "I've got to go talk to her parents first, they need to know. Besides, I don't know what's gonna happen with Umbridge while I'm gone. That's what you're staying for; gotta have someone I trust after all."

"Yeah but how'll you even get there?

"Probably take the floo to Headquarters; McGonagall will let me leave from her office. I need to get going though." He dashed up the stairs to gather a few indispensable items as well as some warm clothing into his bookbag. Harry slung the bag over his shoulder and ran down the stairs, pressing the Marauder's Map to Ron before making the dash out the portrait hole and towards Minerva's office.

Ron was left standing in front of an expectant crowd of students as Harry rushed out of Gryffindor Tower. "Well," he began after a moment, searching for something to say, "you heard him."

"Yeah..." Neville began timidly, "but what does that mean?"

"Well, I was thinking..."

Suddenly, the portrait hole flew open and Umbridge stepped into the Gryffindor common room, flanked on either side by members of her Inquisitorial Squad.

"Bloody hell! What do you want?" Ron asked, speaking first.

"The Hufflepuff and Gryffindor sixth year classes are hereby placed under house arrest for truancy and organized malfeasance by order of the Headmistress and High Inquisitor of Hogwarts," Umbridge announced in an authoritarian tone.

"You're the Headmistress and High Inquisitor," Ron muttered under his breath. "Got a bit of an ego now that you've got titles?"

Umbridge did not hear Ron's remark and instead pressed on with her announcement. "You will follow the members of the Inquisitorial Squad to the dungeons where you will be held until the arrival of officials from the Ministry Board of Education arrives to determine the best course of action. Insubordination is a very serious offense," she continued, her tone switching to her usual menacing sweetness. "I will not have it during my time as Headmistress. However, I also understand that it can be difficult to go against your peers. As such, I simply wish to know who was the mastermind behind the walkout in my class earlier this morning; it cannot have been spontaneous. Rest assured that you will receive a lighter punishment if you expose the real perpetrators."

As she finished speaking, Umbridge glanced around the room at the stoic faces of her students. Despite the shuffling of feet as they stood, the entire student body remained silent. Meanwhile, Draco Malfoy looked on from his position at Umbridge's right hand, smirking self-righteously as he watched the Gryffindors squirm. Finally he and his fellow Inquisitorial Squad members had a chance to show that Slytherin truly was the greatest house at Hogwarts by forcing the expulsion of a large swath of Gryffindor.

"You have nothing to fear by speaking up," Umbridge said in an attempt to coax a confession from the Gryffindors. But once again she received no answer. Growing agitated, she began to tap her foot in annoyance. "Is there nobody who wants a lesser punishment?" she asked. "Fine then. You can all share in the same punishment. I fully expect the Ministry to expel all of you once they learn of your insubordination, and your wands may even be snapped." She withdrew her wand from her puffy pink cardigan as the members of the Inquisitorial Squad withdrew their wands as well. "Relinquish your wands to the Inquisitorial Squad," she commanded, training her wand on the group as a whole. "Or better yet, turn over your wands to me. I will keep them in my office until the Ministry arrives."

When nobody complied, Umbridge pointed her wand at the ceiling and fired a stunning spell into the air. "Do not make us resort to... unsavory methods," she warned. "You have brought this on yourself. So you will come with us either by your own will... or by force."

* * *

><p><em>9:33 AM<em>

_Location: ?_

The sunlight streamed through the frost covered, cobweb blanketed window near the ceiling, shining directly in the eyes of Hermione Granger. Groaning in pain, her eyes fluttered open before instantly squinting at the brightness. She reached her hands out to wake herself up by rubbing her eyes only to find that she could not.

Her hands were bound.

Lying flat on her back she found that she could not get at her bonds in her current position, so she rolled over in an attempt to sit up... only to fall.

"Gah!" she cried as she hit the hard concrete floor, the bindings on her hands and feet keeping her from breaking her fall.

Wincing in pain, Hermione rolled over to see that she had fallen off of a series of crates tucked against a wall in the barren five meter square room she found herself in. Based on the placement of the small dingy window near the ceiling, she assumed that she was in a basement of some sort, and the cracked concrete walls only served to confirm that assumption. From what she could see, the only exit from the room was a rotting wooden door that hung loosely on its hinges on the wall opposite the crates.

Dismissing any thoughts about her surroundings, Hermione began to tug at her bonds but to no avail. Her wrists were tied tightly with some sort of rough rope that chafed her wrists the harder she pulled. As her bonds grew tighter due to her struggle, Hermione gave up and attempted the same with the ropes on her ankles. Despite the extra layer of her sleep pants, the ropes on her ankles also grew tighter with her struggles.

_Oh to hell with it_, she thought. "Help!" she cried aloud, giving up on breaking free of her restraints. "Is anyone there? Help!" Her breath formed thick clouds of vapor in the mid-winter air.

But she received no response. Instead the only sound that penetrated her small cell was the light tinkling of ice cracking on the window under the direct morning sunlight. Hermione shivered at the freezing temperature in the room as she once again set to work trying to worm her way out of her restraints.

However, as she did so, the door suddenly swung open revealing a very fat disheveled man with thinning hair and a thick gray beard. He carried a small tin plate in one hand and a large keyring in his other, which he quickly shoved into his pocket. Taking one look at Hermione, he waddled over and threw the plate down on the floor in front of her.

"Help me... please," Hermione begged him as the plate of mush clattered to the floor. He simply rolled his eyes in resopnse and turned back to the door. "Let me go!" she cried after him. Again he ignored her. "What do you want from me? Let me go!"

The man stopped in his tracks and turned to face Hermione, a scowl etched on his face. He trundled over to her and towered over her, his immense girth taking up most of her vision.

"Please..." she begged.

Instantly the man kicked her in the stomach. Hermione cried out as she curled up in pain, sending the plate flying.

"Now you just keep your mouth shut girly," her attacker slurred, kicking the plate back toward her. Only a few scattered specks of the rancid, colorless mush remained on the plate. "You'll keep quiet and eat if you know what's good for you," he continued. "You're no good to us if you don't look the part."

With that, he spun on his heel and walked out the door, a faint click on the other side indicating that he had locked it behind him.

Still doubled over in pain, Hermione kept her knees to her chest in an attempt to will the pain away. But it did not work and instead she began to sob silently, hoping and praying that somebody would come to help her.

* * *

><p><em>9:41 AM<em>

_Hogwarts_

"Sirius Black!" Harry shouted into his mirror for the sixth time in five minutes, trying desperately to contact his godfather. But for the sixth time he received no response.

"Perhaps he is not near his mirror," Minerva suggested as the pair walked down the corridor toward the Deputy Headmistress's office. "Or perhaps he is otherwise occupied at the present."

Harry shook his head in frustration. "Where's he gonna go?" he demanded angrily. "What's he gonna do that's so important?"

"Mr. Potter! Mind your tone!" McGonagall scolded. "I understand that you are upset but do not address me in that tone! You must remember that Mr. Black is now a free man; he can come and go as he pleases. I hardly think he expected you to need to contact him so desperately today."

"But at the very least he could have taken his mirror with him!"

"Perhaps he forgot. One thing I have learned over the years Mr. Potter is that Sirius Black is hardly perfect. But nevertheless you are planning to floo to his home are you not?" Harry nodded. "Then I see little reason to be so upset at his lack of response to your calls. You will see him in a few moments." As she finished speaking she unlocked the door to her office and stepped inside. Harry followed her as she strode over to the fireplace behind her desk and directly across from the door. Minerva pulled a spittoon-like vessel from atop the hearth and held it out to Harry. He took a handful of the magic powder and let the excess pour out the sides of his fist into the jar briefly before Minerva withdrew the vessel.

McGonagall placed the floo powder back above the fireplace before stepping back to allow Harry room. "Good luck Mr. Potter," she said as Harry stepped into the oversized hearth. "And remember," she added, "be careful. A Gryffindor may be brave, but they must never be foolish."

Harry nodded before tossing the handful of powder at his feet. "Number twelve, Grimmauld Place," he shouted before vanishing in a cloud of green smoke.

Minerva stared at the empty fireplace as the smoke quickly dissipated. "And Godspeed Mr. Potter," she whispered.

* * *

><p><em>9:45 AM<em>

_Number 12, Grimmauld Place, London_

Harry appeared in the fireplace in the sitting room at the home of Sirius Black, stumbling out of the hearth but somehow maintaining his footing. Immediately Harry crossed his arms and tucked his hands into his armpits as he shivered violently.

_Oh come on Sirius,_ he thought, _can't you keep the entire house warm? You are a wizard after all! _He whipped his bag off of his shoulder and rifled through it for a moment before producing a light, unmarked black jacket which he promptly donned before shouldering his bag once more.

"Sirius!" he shouted into the silence of the Black family home. His voice echoed through the chilled air as Harry watched his breath dissipate before him. "Sirius!" he repeated, louder this time. But for the second time he received no response. "Sirius! Answer me will you!" But the house remained silent.

His frustration growing, Harry stormed out of the sitting room and into the foyer where he saw that the portrait of Walburga Black, which had hung in the same place for years, was missing. _Only now you manage to get rid of that nasty thing?_ Harry thought spitefully. But he quickly shook his head to return to the matter at hand. "Kreacher!" he bellowed, calling for Sirius's ancient House Elf. But the vile creature did not appear. _What is going on here?_ Harry wondered as he turned to the front door of the house and wrenched it open.

A light flurry of snow was just beginning to fall outside of Number twelve as Harry stepped onto the stoop. He closed the door behind him and rubbed his hands together vigorously for warmth, breathing into them for good measure. Stretching before him, the front walk glistened with a thin coat of ice that Harry managed to avoid with some careful walking as he made his way through the front gate and on to the street.

Withdrawing his wand from his back pocket, Harry raised it into the air before him and waited. In seconds, a large, triple-decker bus burst into existence in front of Harry. The doors opened revealing a face that Harry had not seen in more than three years.

"Well if it ain't Mr. Neville Longbottom," Stan called, stepping aside to allow Harry access to the purple behemoth. "Been a lon' time it 'as," he continued as Harry tossed a few sickles into the fare box. "Where to guvna?"

"Covingham. In Swindon," Harry replied curtly, taking a seat near the front of the bus. Stan shrugged as the doors closed and the bus sped off, flying through the streets of London. As Harry settled back into his seat for the ride, his mind wandered back to what had brought him to this point in time.

Over the summer he had gone on holiday to Las Vegas, Nevada with Hermione and her parents, Richard and Ellen, along with Sirius, Minerva, and Remus Lupin. What had been disguised as a routine holiday had actually turned into a daring heist to steal Voldemort's most prized possession from the vaults of Lucius Malfoy's casino. In the end the group had been successful, but not after numerous trials and difficulties. But as Harry looked back, the greatest part of the entire affair had been his deepening relationship with his best friend Hermione. By the end of the trip, the two had realized that their feelings for each other were deeper than simply friendship, and had begun a relationship.

That was nearly five months ago. In the intervening months, Harry and Hermione had come to enjoy each other's company more than ever before as they grew from best friends into a true couple. While they had been worried about the reaction of the third member of their trio, Ron Weasley, he had surprisingly taken the new development in their relationship in stride, commenting that it was "about bloody time." Despite his amicability, Harry and Hermione had made a conscious effort to include Ron in their new life by maintaining their usual slate of activities, such as visits to Hagrid and study sessions. However, they still found time for themselves, including the candlelit dinner that Harry had set up in the Room of Requirement for Hermione's birthday, as well as nightly walks around the castle under Harry's invisibility cloak, as they had done the night before.

Unfortunately, the change in Harry and Hermione's relationship had been the greatest change in the most recent school term. Delores Umbridge was still the Headmistress of Hogwarts and was still toeing the Ministry line, denying the return of Voldemort. Meanwhile, despite his assistance in Las Vegas, Draco Malfoy seemed to be no different than in years past. Still the leader of Umbridge's Inquisitorial Squad, he and his cronies had spent the first months of the term terrorizing any and all Gryffindors they could find. While that was no change from years past, Harry had found it increasingly frustrating, especially considering the help Draco had provided in stealing Voldemort's horcrux from his father.

As Harry pondered these things, he stared out the window of the Knight Bus as it screamed through the streets of London, weaving through the morning traffic and ripping through the falling snow. Propping his elbow up on the narrow ledge of the window next to him, Harry rested his head in his hand as he continued to watch out the window. As the bus rocketed past the payphone that served as the entrance to the Ministry of Magic, Harry saw a young blonde woman rush into the booth and begin to frantically press the buttons on the phone.

Paying her no attention, Harry continued to stare idly out the window, watching as the Knight Bus burst out of London and into the English countryside, screaming down the M4 toward Swindon. Within moments the bus slowed as it reached the streets of Covingham.

"Anywhere in particula'?" Stan asked Harry, jolting him out of his reverie.

"Huh?" he asked.

"You jus' wan us ta leave ya here? Or are ya wantin' us to take ya somewhere?" Stan elaborated.

Harry glanced out the window, paying attention to where they were for the first time. While the Knight Bus had arrived in Covingham, it was still far from the Granger home. "Erm..." Harry began, racking his mind for the Granger's address. "37... Baskerville Road?"

"Ya heard 'im Ernie!" Stan barked. Instantly the Knight Bus lurched into life and sped off once more. Just a few short seconds later the bus stopped once again, this time in front of the Grangers' house.

"Your stop guvna," Ernie told Harry, who grabbed his bag and rose from his seat. Disembarking the bus, he looked behind him as it vanished with a bang, leaving Harry alone in front of the Grangers' front garden.

As Harry slung his bag over his shoulder, he heard a loud crash emanate from within the Granger home. He ran to the front window and pressed his face against it, peering inside.

The front sitting room was a disaster area. Furniture was overturned, pictures that once hung on the wall now lay broken on the floor, and various papers littered the floor as well. However that was not the most troubling thing he saw.

Through the frosty glass Harry could see three shadowy figures ransacking the Granger's house.

"What the hell?" Harry muttered, drawing his face back from the cold window. "Here too? What the hell's going on?"

End of Chapter 2

A/N: Thank you all for reading and reviewing chapter one of this story. What is surprising to me is how few views chapter one has received, relative to other first-run chapters I have posted in the past. Yet at the same time, the number of reviews it has receive is quite healthy. I want to thank you for that.

Before I get to my notes for this chapter, I do want to congratulate the following members for correctly guessing the title of this chapter:

_osc630_

_luvsanime02_

_acam_

_imagelesssky_

_lambsie_

_AnEndHasAStart1992_

_Victoria LeRoux_

Well done all of you! And thank you to the new reviewers who offered their guesses! Any game is more fun with more players!

I do want to briefly discuss this chapter title. Many reviewers guessed the song "Body Language" as the title of this song, as it was banned by MTV in the United States, which matched part of the hint. However, I also put a secondary hint which mentioned that, in the music video for the song I had chosen, John Deacon is reading a newspaper with the headline "They Never Had it so Good." "I Want to Break Free" was banned from MTV for several years for its controversial music video depicting the members of the band dressed up as women, which was meant to serve as a parody of a British television show. However, that humor fell flat across the pond, and the music video was deemed inappropriate. The ban was, however, lifted in 1991.

**Chapter Title Hint:** I distinctly remember, following the earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Japan earlier this year, seeing a compilation CD in stores which featured songs from various artists. When I glanced at the back, I noticed that there was one Queen song included on the track list. To make this hint a bit easier, this is one of only a handful of Queen songs that were given two titles (another of which, coincidentally, will show up later in this story), and was likely included on the compilation due to its understandable popularity in Japan. Either of the two titles of this song would be considered a correct answer.

Now, there are a couple of things I do want to discuss briefly. One review mentioned the possibilities opened up by having one of the horcruxes stolen by the Order, as we saw in Stealing Time. However, that review also assumed that Voldemort knows about the theft of that horcrux. I have not decided whether I will overtly mention this in the story, so I will just ask it now: what if Voldemort did not know about the theft? What if Lucius kept it secret to save his own hide?

I am also very appreciative that so many of you enjoyed the ending of chapter one. I had originally planned that chapter (even before I had a plot for this story) around that single line that Harry says at the end. But it is also indicative of my approach to this story. I will warn you now that we will see many more cliffhangers in this story than I have used in the past. Some of you, especially those in the United States, may begin to pick up on my inspiration for this story and will quickly understand why so many cliffhangers (of various different degrees) are being used. But fear not, as I do have a regular update schedule planned, with this story being updated every Friday. However, as writing has continued, I have realized that the chapters are growing longer and longer, and are therefore taking longer to write. So due to the general hectic schedule of the holidays, there _may_ not be an update for the week of Thanksgiving in the United States, as I have a great deal going on that week. I cannot accurately predict whether or not that will be the case yet, but I am leaving that option open just in case I do not have an extra chapter ready to post by then. I do apologize in advance if that is the case.

One final thing that I want to reiterate is my openness to constructive criticism. While I do realize that my writing, either in terms of style or plot, may not appeal to everyone, if you find something that can be improved, please let me know. However, if you are going to criticize the story, for whatever reason, in your review, please be specific. Please do not just say "oh, that wasn't good." Tell me why so that I can improve going forward. inVale and I have many ideas that we are working on for future stories, so any suggestions you can provide will serve to make our future stories even better.

All of that aside, I want to thank all of you again for reading this far. Please leave a review and let us know what you think of this chapter and the story in general. If nothing else, leave a review with your guess about the title of the next chapter! If all else fails, Wikipedia is your friend for this. In any event, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I will see you again soon with chapter three.


	4. Teo Torriate

Chapter 3

**Teo Torriate**

_10 AM_

_37 Baskerville Road, Covingham, Swindon_

Harry stepped away from the window and took a deep breath. Not only was Hermione missing and possibly kidnapped but now strangers had invaded her house and were ransacking her family's possessions. For all he knew Richard and Ellen could be trapped inside as prisoners of the intruders or worse.

Throwing his bag on the ground next to him, Harry bent over and began to sift through it, eventually pulling out the shimmering cloth that had served as his trusty companion on many adventures over the previous five years. Draping it over his head, Harry tucked his bag into the bushes on the side of the Grangers' house before making his way around the house to the back garden.

Creeping along the back of the house, Harry found the back door unlocked and open. He slipped inside, making sure that the cloak was still in place as he tiptoed through the kitchen toward the sitting room. As he stepped into the sitting room, Harry caught sight of two of the intruders, still rifling through paperwork with gusto.

"Find it yet?" one of them barked at his companion as he threw several pages to his side in anger.

"You'd think that muggles would at least be smart enough to keep the address of their business in their house. I guess You-Know-Who was right; they're nothing more than a bunch of animals."

The first grunted in agreement as he turned his attention back to the task at hand. Harry glanced around the room before stepping back into the kitchen, intent on finding the third intruder and hoping to catch him unawares. However, he did not find him on the first floor.

Tightening his grip on his cloak, Harry made his way to the stairs near the front door, making sure to climb slowly for fear of a creaking step. Very slowly Harry climbed the thirteen steps to the second floor before turning to look down the hall on both his right and left.

To his right, the hall stretched for approximately five meters, lined with two doors on one side, another on the other, and a restroom directly on the end. To his left, stood an open door that led to what Harry knew was Richard and Ellen's bedroom. The other three doors in the hall led to Hermione's room and two guest rooms, respectively. All of the doors were open, which was contrary to what Harry had experienced during his stay with the Grangers over the summer.

Harry stepped into Richard and Ellen's room first, choosing the door that was closest to him. The room was moderately sized at about six meters square with an adjoining bath. The vaulted ceilings however, made the room feel much larger than it was. Despite the size, most of the room was taken up by a large bed in the center, flanked by a matching nightstand on either side.

As Harry glanced around the room, he saw that the wall above the headboard of the bed was lined with family pictures. Upon closer inspection, Harry could see that they appeared to be arranged in chronological order starting with a very young looking Richard and Ellen accompanied by what Harry assumed was a baby Hermione sitting on Richard's knee. Harry smiled sadly as his eyes panned across the wall, watching as the three Grangers grew older and Hermione grew to look more and more like Harry knew. However, when Harry reached the final portrait, he stopped.

At the very end of the long line of intimate family portraits was the picture Darlene had taken of Richard, Ellen, Hermione... and Harry at the end of the summer. Harry stared at this picture for what seemed like an eternity, willing his eyes to remain dry as he realized that Richard and Ellen now considered him family. He had to find Hermione. For them.

Filled with renewed vigor, Harry tore himself away from the family portraits and swept out of the room to search the others on the second floor. The first door he reached Harry recognized as Hermione's. Stepping through the threshold, he caught sight of the third intruder rummaging through the dresser that rested next to Hermione's bed. Harry took one tentative step toward the man but stopped, unsure as to how he was planning to incapacitate him.

_Oh bugger this_, he thought, pulling out his wand. "Stupefy," he whispered, loosing a red jet of light at his target. The man slumped to the floor in a heap. Harry bent over the man and quickly frisked the pockets, searching for any clues but finding none. What Harry did find surprised him more than anything: a wand. This was no simple burglary. His sole source of relief was the absence of the dark mark on the man's forearm, giving hope the Grangers would yet be safe.

Taking care to be even more quiet than ever, Harry crept down the stairs and back into the living room. With a grin, he picked up the television remote and flicked it on from beneath the invisibility cloak, and turned up the volume before watching one of the intruders rush into the room.

A flash of red at the back of the man's head sent him flying into the glass table in the center of the room. The resulting crash summoned his sole remaining companion, who burst into the room with his wand in hand. Instantly he spotted Harry's wand floating in thin air, an illusion created by its protrusion from his invisibility cloak.

"I'd drop that, if I were you," the man grunted.

Harry flicked the remote to the ground ahead of him and jumped to the side as the man fired off bright red stunner where he had just been standing. Harry knew from his silent magic that this man was a different sort of wizard from his companions.

When his spell failed to find its target, Harry's assailant stepped back toward the entrance to the kitchen while still keeping his wand trained on the sitting room.

Instantly, an orange jet of flame erupted from the man's wand and flew into the sitting room. It swept across the room as the man flicked his wand back and forth.

Air itself seemed to ignite as a burst of flame suddenly appeared in the corner of the sitting room.

But to Harry it felt even hotter. And it took him less than a second to understand why.

He scrambled to remove his father's cloak, throwing it to the side as it disintegrated under the scorching flames.

With the cloak consumed, the flames moved onto the nearby wall, slowly engulfing the room. As the temperature in the room soared, Harry struck back.

"Reducto!" he cried, jabbing violently with his wand. The curse narrowly missed its target as the wall behind the older wizard exploded in torrent of wood and plaster.

The man dived for cover. But Harry struck again, taking advantage of his exposed state.

"Expelliarmus!" As soon as the jet of light left his wand, his opponent's wand was flying through the air toward Harry. He caught the wand in midair before snapping it with one hand.

Tossing the pieces to the side, Harry flicked his wand once more. "Incarcerous!" he bellowed. Great ropes erupted from his wand, wrapping around the unidentified man tightly.

The man fell to the ground, fully bound from shoulders to ankles.

"Who sent you?" Harry demanded, brandishing his wand threateningly as he approached the prone man. But he received no answer. "Who do you work for? Answer me!"

"You're just a stupid kid. What're you gonna do, hit me with a a tickling charm?"

"Oh, I could do far worse than that," Harry warned, his voice shaking.

"Like what?"

"Are you sure you want to find out? I've already taken out your companions..."

"Yeah, with a stunner."

"...so tell me who sent you!" Harry finished, undeterred.

"Like hell I will kid. I ain't gonna tell you-" But whatever he was going to say was cut off by the arrival of Harry's foot against the man's temple.

Harry brushed his sopping hair off of his dripping forehead as he stared down at the unconscious man. But his attention was drawn away by orange and yellow flashes in his peripheral vision. Harry glanced up to see that the entire sitting room was consumed by flames which were slowly turning the walls to ash as they worked their way up to the ceiling.

To save the Granger's home, Harry had to do something. "Aguamenti!" he shouted, loosing a great torrent of icy water upon the rampaging blaze.

Sweeping his wand across the room, Harry doused the flames, leaving dripping, exposed beams and drywall in their place.

As the flames finally hissed out of life, Harry looked down at his feet, his eyes catching the glimmering reflection a bit of silver cloth buried in a small pile of ash.

Pocketing his wand, Harry bent over and picked up the scrap. His last tie to his father; the invisibility cloak that had served him so well on countless adventures over the years, had been reduced to a one square inch piece of charred cloth. Rolling it in between his fingers, Harry studied the cloth briefly as steam rose from the blackened walls around him. With a sad shake of his head, he tucked the scrap into his pocket before returning to his latest victim.

Rolling the large man over with his foot, Harry searched through his pockets before producing a wallet. He quickly flipped through it to find anything of value, but found little indication as to the man's origin. Shoving the wallet into his pocket, Harry stood once more to take stock of the Grangers' house.

The vast majority of the first floor was in shambles. The sitting room was utterly destroyed by the fire, while large swaths of the kitchen had been demolished by Harry's reductor curse. Amidst this chaos Harry realized that it was unlikely he was going to find any clues as to the location of Richard and Ellen's practice. However, based on the attack on their home Harry realized that they too were in danger, and resolved to find them.

With a sigh, Harry once again pulled his mirror out of his pocket and studied it briefly, allowing the many facets to reflect dancing beams of light onto the walls.

"Sirius Black," he called, trying to reach his godfather once again.

This time however, a face appeared mere seconds after Harry finished speaking. "Hey cub, what's up?" Sirius's jovial face asked, shimmering into view.

"What's up? What do you mean what's up? Where have you been all morning?"

"I've been here all along," Sirius replied with a straight face. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"I was trying to call you all morning!" Harry cried in frustration. "I even went to your house but you weren't there!"

"No," Sirius maintained, shaking his head. "I've been here all morning. And you don't need to shout. But what's got you so upset?"

"Upset? Hermione's missing that's what's got me so upset! And I just caught three wizards tearing her house apart!"

"What?" Sirius shouted, completely forgetting the notion of not shouting.

"What's this about Hermione?" a voice asked from behind Sirius. Harry watched as the mirror's perspective shifted violently as portions of Grimmauld Place spun before him. "And what's that in your hand?" the feminine voice pressed.

Finally the view stabilized, revealing the confused visage of Christine. "Harry?" she asked in confusion.

Harry waved into his mirror meekly as he took in her disheveled hair and over-sized button-down shirt. "Hey Christine."

"What is this?" she asked Sirius, once again shifting the mirror. Harry could only assume she was examining it closely, which only served to make him dizzy.

"Um..." Sirius began sheepishly. "Well..."

"And what's this about Hermione missing?"

"Well Harry was just about to get to that-"

"And how is it that you're talking to Harry? This thing looks like a ruddy mirror."

"You haven't told her yet?" Harry asked Sirius.

"Told me what?" Christine challenged, her voice growing steely.

"Thanks Harry," Sirius muttered. "I was planning to tell her soon."

"Tell me what?"

"Do you want to tell her or should I?" Harry inquired.

"Will somebody please tell me what is going on?" Christine shouted.

"Christine," Sirius began, "I was really planning on telling you this... soon in fact. I just wanted to wait for the right time. You see... well... have you ever wondered what it would be like if I had two magic wands?"

"Sirius!" Harry exclaimed. "This is serious!"

"What?" his godfather protested innocently, the humor evident in his voice. "Oh fine," he groaned. "You know how Harry and Hermione go to a school for the gifted?" Harry saw Christine nod. "And you know how they never really talk about it? Well there's a reason for that. See, they're not allowed to."

"What do you mean?"

"Imagine for a moment that there was another world out there. Not a planet mind you, but an entire society that was hidden to the outside world but lived just under your nose and the nose of most everybody else in Britain."

"Very mysterious Sirius," Harry chuckled darkly. "Mum made you lot read entirely too much Shakespeare."

"Shut up Harry this is serious. Christine, I'm just gonna come out and say it; magic is real."

"Right..." she said in disbelief.

"It is!" Sirius maintained. "This mirror that Harry's talking to us on... that's magic. My motorcycle that we've ridden around on? It can fly if I flip the right switch. Remember how I told you never to use your cellular telephone-"

"My mobile phone?" Christine corrected.

"Right. That. Anyway, remember how I told you not to use it my house? It's because it wouldn't work. It'd actually break because of all the magic floating around in here."

"And you really expect me to believe that there is some secret world of magicians hiding underground? I didn't think you thought I was stupid. Here, you can have your mirror-thing back. I think I should be leaving." The image on the mirror shifted as Sirius once again took hold of the mirror.

"Wait! Christine!" Sirius called. "I can prove it! Kreacher!"

Harry heard the faint pop of house-elf apparition, followed immediately by a piercing shriek.

"Eek!" Christine screamed. "What the hell is that thing? It looks like an overgrown rat!"

"Master Brat called Kreacher?" the house-elf asked.

"This is Kreacher," Sirius explained slowly. "He's a house-elf. Ever wonder why the house looks so clean all of the time? You can thank him for that. He's served my family for generations. He's not too fond of me, but he gets the job done."

"How come he appeared when you called him?" Harry blurted.

"Because I told him to only appear for me once Christine started coming over here," Sirius informed him. "I just wanted to make sure there weren't any surprises."

"And what is this supposed to show me?" Christine asked skeptically, having regained her composure.

"Christine, please believe me," Sirius begged. "You've known me for a few months now. Have I ever given you any reason to think I was anything other than completely honest with you?"

"Oh Sirius, I never doubted that you were telling the truth," she said. "I was concerned about your sanity. How do you expect it sounds for somebody to suddenly tell me that a fantasy world that has only existed in books and films is suddenly real? Would you believe it?"

"Not without proof," he replied. "But I would trust that person, especially if I knew them pretty well. Please believe me."

"Guys?" Harry interrupted. "I hate to interrupt but Hermione's still missing."

"What do you mean Hermione's missing?" Christine asked, her doubts about the magical world pushed to the side.

"She wasn't there in the common room when I woke up this morning, she wasn't in class, and I couldn't find her on the map anywhere," Harry explained. "When I went up to her dormitory with Professor McGonagall, the place was a mess. Her wand was under her bed and I found an Auror badge nearby."

"An Auror badge?" Sirius spoke up. "What in Merlin's name would that be doing there? Unless... you don't think that..."

"That's the only thing I could think of. Anyway, I came down here to her house but I found three wizards here tearing the place apart. I stunned them all but I think something serious is going on here."

"You're damn right something serious is going on," Sirius agreed.

"I need to know where Richard and Ellen's practice is. The house is pretty much trashed; I can't find any information about their practice or anything like that in this mess."

"I think I've actually got their card in my purse," Christine interjected. "Just a minute." She darted away, leaving Harry and Sirius alone.

"So you two are serious?" Harry asked, changing the subject.

"Yeah," his godfather replied. "Sorry I wasn't able to answer your calls earlier cub. I was... a bit tied up. But you know how that is right?"

"No... actually I don't."

"Huh? You mean you and Hermione haven't-"

"Got it!" Christine chirped, rushing back into what Harry now understood to be the bath off of Sirius's room. "They're actually just in town on Murdock Road, just on the corner with Faraday Road. Looks like Number 219."

"Thanks," Harry replied quickly, moving to put the mirror away.

"Wait Harry!" Sirius called. Harry looked back at the mirror expectantly. "I'm gonna release Kreacher from my orders. I want you to call him for me and give him that badge. While you go get Richard and Ellen, I think I'm gonna pay little cousin Nymphadora a visit at the Ministry; see if she knows anything about what's going on."

Harry nodded before putting the mirror in his pocket and withdrawing the Auror badge he had found earlier in the morning. "Kreacher," he barked, and an instant later the wrinkly old house-elf appeared before him.

"Master Brat's mudblood loving heir calls for Kreacher?" the creature asked.

Harry rolled his eyes as he handed the badge to Kreacher. "You are to take this directly to Sirius is that understood?" Kreacher nodded in disgust, not making eye contact with Harry. "That's all Kreacher," Harry added, dismissing the house-elf, who took no time in vanishing.

Alone once again, Harry sighed and turned toward the front door. Repeating the address of the Grangers' practice to himself, Harry retrieved his bag from the bushes before walking to the street in front of the house. He raised his wand into the air once again and boarded the Knight Bus when it appeared.

"219 Murdock Road," Harry snapped before Stan could greet him. He paid his fare before throwing himself in the front seat as the bus sped off.

* * *

><p><em>10:14 AM<em>

_Number 12, Grimmauld Place_

Sirius dismissed Kreacher after receiving the Auror badge and turned to Christine, who was now sporting a fresh set of clothes.

"Get dressed," she commanded, taking stock of his disheveled, half-dressed state. "We've gotta go."

"Go?" Sirius asked. "Go where?"

"To wherever you told Harry you were going," she replied matter-of-factly.

"And what do you mean 'we?' If I recall I told Harry that _I_ was going."

"And I'm going with you."

"Uh... since when? I'm talking about going into the magical world. My cousin works for the Ministry of Magic, and I'm planning on going to see her."

"And that's exactly why I'm going with you. If you expect me to believe that there's such a thing as this 'magical world' then you've got to make concessions. I'm gonna give you the benefit of the doubt, but I want to see this magic."

Sirius watched her as she spoke, never wavering in her conviction. He had grown to truly like her in the months since he had met her at the Grangers house. But to take a muggle into the magical world following the return of Voldemort was to paint an enormous target on her back. Of course, with her connection to him, no matter how tenuous or unknown, she was probably already in if anyone could handle that sort of risk, it was Christine.

"Okay," Sirius acknowledged, "but there are some ground rules. Stay right next to me, try not to talk too much and if anyone asks you're from America. They might think you're just a visiting witch rather than an unknown muggle."

"But what about the accent?"

"You emigrated over there a few years ago remember? You just came back to visit for a while. But living in America, you've grown accustomed to the muggle world, which is why you know so much about it."

"Right... how do you come up with this kind of stuff?"

"Remember those friends of mine I told you about a while back? Moony and Prongs? Well, we were a bunch of magical pranksters if you could imagine," he explained as he finished changing and the pair walked into the hall outside his room. "We caused all sorts of trouble but had great fun doing it. Anyway, all my years as a Marauder helped me to think on my feet."

"Marauder?"

"Didn't I ever tell you that was what we were called?"

Christine shook her head. "What? Not the Three Musketeers or the Little Rascals?"

"Well... actually... there were originally four of us. But we won't talk about the fourth one. Besides, the lot of us are Purebloods. I'd never even met a muggle, er non magical person, when I first went to Hogwarts. My family is actually credited with inventing the term 'filthy mudblood'.

"How do you know so much about regular people then?"

"I know so much about _muggles_ because Harry's father married a muggleborn; someone born to non-magical parents, like Hermione. Anyway, she became a good friend of ours in our later years at Hogwarts... the school that all magical children go to."

"I've heard of it. Hermione mentioned it a few times, but never said much about it."

"Well, every magical child in Britain goes there starting at age eleven. Lasts seven years. Anyway," he added as the pair walked out the front door, "time to go."

"But your bike's around back," Christine pointed out.

"True. But we're not taking the bike. You wanted proof about the magical world, so I'm gonna show you. Do you trust me?"

"Yes..." she replied tentatively.

Sirius chuckled at her hesitation. "Don't worry," he reassured her as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "I haven't splinched anyone in years."

As soon as he finished speaking, the pair vanished with a small pop.

* * *

><p><em>10:22 AM<em>

_Hogwarts_

Ron Weasley trudged along behind Draco Malfoy, leading the rest of the sixth year Gryffindor students through the corridors of Hogwarts on what Ron had come to call the Parade of Shame. Rather than lead the Gryffindors directly to the dungeons as Umbridge had ordered, the members of the Inquisitorial Squad had decided that it would be much more humiliating to take their prisoners on a grand tour of Hogwarts, embarrassing them at every turn.

However, that tour seemed to be coming to a close as Ron noticed their surroundings growing darker and danker as they approached the dungeons.

"Hey Weasel," Malfoy called out, shaking Ron out of his thoughts. "What would your family think of you now? They must be proud of you; leader of a bunch of prisoners. That has to be the highest position anyone in your family has ever held!"

"Sod off Malfoy," Ron grumbled.

At Ron's irritation, Draco slowed down to allow the redhead to catch up. "Oh come on Weasley, lighten up. It's not that bad. Hey, think of the bright side! If you charge all of your fellow prisoners a Knut, you could be the richest Weasley ever!"

Ron's anger continued to rise at Malfoy's goading. He put up with insults against his family's economic status on a regular basis, but somehow it was made worse by his current predicament and position as the defacto leader of the Gryffindors. He knew he couldn't stand by and let the students be locked away in the dungeon until the Ministry arrived. But he had no clue as to what course of action to take.

"But then again," Draco continued, much to Ron's chagrin and ire, "I'm sure you could get almost as much money by just whoring out your slut of a siste-"

Suddenly Ron's fist crashed into the side of Draco's face.

The blond crumpled to the floor, clutching his jaw. "What the hell Weasley?" he cried as he rubbed the side of his face.

Ron towered over him, both fists clenched in rage. Draco's eyes shifted from left to right, glancing over Ron's shoulders. Ron looked behind himself just in time to avoid the fist of Vincent Crabbe.

Ron leapt to his side as Crabbe's fist crashed through where he had just stood.

Instantly, Seamus tackled Crabbe to the ground as Dean Thomas launched himself at Gregory Goyle. Draco leapt to his feet and swung at the back of Ron's head.

All around Inquisitorial Squad members were being attacked by their prisoners. In the heat of the moment most Slytherins were resorting to fisticuffs rather than magic.

Pansy Parkinson had stunned Pavarti Patil. But Lavender now held her by the hair in revenge, trying to pry her wand from her hand. But Ron lost sight of them as he was tackled to the floor by Draco.

Rolling about on the stone floor, Ron and Draco became a a flurry of black robes and mumbled insults. Fists flew as each managed to land solid blows on the other.

Suddenly Draco landed a solid punch to Ron's jaw. He forced the dazed redhead to the ground, pulled out his wand and froze.

His wand had snapped.

Held together by a nothing more than a silvery unicorn hair, half of the wand dangled freely. Draco watched in horror as his prized wand threatened to disintegrate before his eyes.

Ron smashed his fist into the side of Draco's face, sending the blond flying. The shards of his wand flew in the opposite direction.

Scrambling to his feet, Ron took stock of the situation.

The Inquisitorial Squad lay bloodied and bruised on the ground, their wands in the hands of their former captives.

"Y'know mate, 's all fine and good that we've knocked 'em down a few pegs,' Seamus said 'but what are we gonna do with 'em now?"

Ron felt his neck flush as he stumbled to do the mental planning he had failed to do earlier. This is where Hermione came in; plans were her job.

"It's funny that the only place safe to lock someone up in Hogwarts is in the Dungeons but they'd just feel at home down there with the bloody snakes," Dean supplied helpfully.

Inspiration struck Ron like a bolt of lightning. Heralded by a surge of confidence he could not describe, he suddenly realized that he, Ronald Bilius Weasley, was in charge. Ron was the one coming up with the plans. He was Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and himself all rolled into one glorious package and he would make it work.

"Gather them up," Ron said as he pulled out the Marauder's Map from where it was hidden in his robes. "We'll take them to the Room of Requirement and ask if for a war room nobody can find, complete with a dungeon."

Not waiting for consent from the others, Harry rarely did, Ron grabbed hold of Draco Malfoy and started to move him down the hallway without any particular gentleness. He saw with a grim smile that the rest of his charges moved to do the same. On some level, he knew they would.

It was not easy making their way to the Room of Requirement, twice they had to hide in empty classrooms as a teacher passed by. Once they ran into another Inquisitorial Squad member. From him, they did not hide. With their new guest amongst them they eventually arrived at the blank bit of wall that he hoped was their salvation.

Ron paced back and forth, asking, beseeching and praying for a room that could not be found, that he could direct a war from. That he could tie up Draco by his ankles and leave to rot. Eventually the door shimmered into place and they flung it open to reveal the most interesting room that the Room had produced to date.

The room was divided into four clear sections, a barracks of bunk beds dominated the back left of the room. A giant round table was ringed by several dozen chairs and one high backed one and the oaken table had a large scale model Hogwarts in the middle. Ron stared at it and wondered if Hogwarts had seen other revolts but had no intention of cracking open _Hogwarts: A History_ to find out.

The front right section was filled with an enormous number of antiquated weapons: swords, shields, maces and dozens of others Ron could not even begin to name. The final section was a dungeon filled with chains, cells and even a few bloodied instruments that Ron was sure Filch would love.

"Put them in the cells," he ordered, dragging Draco to be the first into a solitary cell.

"Is that a whip Ron?" Seamus asked as he glanced at the torture implements on the wall. "Never realized you had something of a kinky streak."

Ron pushed Draco into the cell, and shut the manacles tightly on on his prisoner's wrists. Looking around he watched as others did the same, sparing no kindness for their prisoners. At last they were all locked up tight and the cell doors shut to contain them further. The Gryffindors stood outside their magically provided dungeon in an awkward silence.

"Now what?" Lavender asked quietly.

"Now, we stick together," said Parvati. The rest nodded their consent. No matter what happened now, they did it together. Now, it was time to take back Hogwarts.

* * *

><p><em>10:33 AM<em>

_London Underground, Leicester Station_

Christine stumbled away from Sirius as they popped back into existence, her insides still feeling compressed from her first experience with apparition. Her roguish beau grinned at her brightly as she steadied herself and glared at him. Sirius Black was, quite simply, impossible. Ellen had later admitted to setting the pair of them up that day at the barbecue but she wondered if even Ellen truly knew what went on in the mind of the dark haired man.

He held no job yet lived in an enormous house in a posh area of London; Christine figured that the taxes alone must have been staggering. He said he came from old money but search as she could, she had been unable to trace the history. In fact, she had been unable to find any record of the man. No prison listed him as a former employee and he had no police history whatsoever. She could not even find a birth certificate. It was as if he did not even exist.

She looked into seeing if his name was but an alias but she never could dig anything up. She once even looked to see who owned and paid taxes on 12 Grimmauld Place. According to the records even the house was like its owner, it didn't exist. His motorcycle was much too large for a standard Bonneville, she had never seen anything quite like the enormous machine he rode and incessantly polished. The idea of making an 'extra large' bike had earned her blank stares when she asked a few enthusiasts about the potential source of such a bike.

Christine could almost believe his outlandish claims about a 'magical world' based solely on the lack of information about Sirius..

At the same time, she was certain that Ellen would not have set up her own sister with anyone she did not trust. However, she also did not know how anyone could entirely trust Sirius Black. His stories were impossible and increasingly infuriating the more they added up. But he was charming and more fun than Christine had managed to get herself into for years. He was frustratingly intriguing and she couldn't help but be attracted to him so she pushed on past each increasingly bizarre story after the other, month after month.

But his most recent story, the existence of a 'magical world' was different. She was not sure if she could make any sense out of talking to a hairless, rat-like creature or how she was suddenly in an entirely different place from where she had been a few seconds before without giving Sirius the benefit of the doubt. Instead of the snowy front garden of Number 12, Grimmauld Place, she found herself in a shabby bathroom bearing the the marks of the London Underground.

"Sirius!" She hissed as she glanced around the filthy, dilapidated restroom. "You will explain what is going on. What was that dog-thing in your house? How did we get there? What are you playing at?"

"I'm not playing Chrissie," he replied, using her pet name. "Wizards have always lived in the shadows of the muggle world. Every attempt historically to integrate has led to disaster so we dedicate most of our day time to ensuring we're never found out. We've an entire Ministry of Magic primarily dedicated to the job. We just apparated, a way of moving from one place to the other near instantly. Just... watch."

Sirius pulled out a thin oaken rod, hidden somewhere within his sleeve. With a grin and a flick of his wand, Christie found herself yanked up into the air by her ankle.

"Sirius Black! Put me down!" She shouted, feeling a touch terrified as her head floated up near his.

"Are you sure Chrissy? We could have that great kiss scene from that movie with the guy in the red tights... ManSpider, right?"

"Yes I'm certain!"

With a sigh and a mumbled word, Sirius flicked his wand and she found herself tumbling down into Sirius' arms. There should have been smoke, mirrors and invisible cables to be found but try as she might, all she could find was Sirius Black. And he was grinning something fierce.

"I know it's a lot to take in, you should have seen me when I was told you muggles actually had gone to the moon at one point. But take my word on this one. Just run with it and I'll explain as we go along."

"And Hermione and Harry can do... stuff like this?"

"Magic, yeah. Of course, not half as good as me but then, who is?" Sirius joked as he slowly put her back down. "But we need to get going, Hermione could be in some serious danger. There are a lot of wizards who aren't as kind, handsome or good in bed as me."

Christie could only shake her head as Sirius pulled her into the bathroom stall.

"You know Sirius, this isn't really the time..." She suggested as he pulled her on top of the toilet. He grabbed her tightly around the waist and flushed it. They spun faster and faster before the feeling of being squeezed into a tube overcame them. However, that feeling was instantly replaced shot them down and then out of a fireplace whose flames merely tickled coldly.

"Welcome to the Ministry of Magic," Sirius announced brightly as a dour looking wizard with a shiny badge approached them.

"Stop right there! Visitors are supposed to enter through the visitor entrance!" the man glowered, fingering his wand. But suddenly recognition dawned on his face as he glared at Sirius. "What are you doing here Black?"

"Family emergency sort of affair. I need to talk to Tonks," Sirius replied smoothly. The other man merely frowned further.

"That's still not a reason to enter the Ministry of Magic without the appropriate escort. You must use the visitor entrance."

"But I do have an escort," Sirius argued, pulling Christine tight to his side and grinning, "right here."

"Then let's see her papers," the man said with a hint of exasperation.

"Sorry, fresh out," Christine muttered under her breath.

"Her papers?" Sirius balked. "You've the audacity of a much higher ranked Auror my friend. She's here on business for Level Nine if you know what I mean. But first, I need to speak to Tonks."

"What's Tonks got to do with The Department of Mysteries?"

"You know, we didn't stop to ask Croaker for the details."

"But I still need to see her papers," the guard maintained.

"For what? Just to make us use another entrance if she doesn't have them? My good man, you have to get your priorities in order. Lives may be at stake! Now let us through before something terrible happens!"

"Lives are at stake?" the Auror repeated in disbelief

"Yes, ours. Have you not met Croaker? Actually, I suppose yours is too, now that I think about it."

"Bloody Unspeakables, you lot always think you're above the law. Just go."

With a curt nod to the guard, Sirius led Christine away from the fireplace and into the Ministry atrium.

"What's an auror?" Christine asked quietly as they walked away, feeling entirely out of place.

"Magical policeman."

"So the man is what, worried we're going to break into the police station?"

"The lot were never hired for their brains, just wait until you meet Nymphodra. She'd lose her feet if they weren't attached... actually, I think she already has." Christine looked at him oddly as he offered no explanation other than a smirk. With a sigh, she resigned herself to finding out later.

The duo made their way through the dimly lit, majestic atrium on the 8th floor to the 2nd floor Department of Magical Law Enforcement offices. Through the heavy wooden door Christine was amazed to find a mass of messy cubicles with walls coated in maps and pictures. The shocking part was that they moved, the pictures of criminals howled and menaced, the maps zoomed in and out seemingly of their own will and paper airplanes were thick in the sky.

How Sirius took all this calmly in stride was beyond her, she couldn't help but be amazed by the place and the people. Most of them wore outrageous robes of varying colours; it was truly a spectacle. After several moments, Sirius finally stopped at a tiny cubicle that somehow managed to be messier and more chaotic than all of the others. Seated within was a young woman with bubblegum pink hair and wholly too much energy.

"Sirius! You finally told her!" the woman exclaimed, visibly delighted.

"It's impolite to-" Sirius's words were lost as she turned away from them on her swivel chair only to spin back around to face Christine.

Gone was the pretty face beneath the pink hair, replaced with a grotesque cross between a pig and a very unattractive leper. Christine was left somewhere between fear and morbid curiosity, Sirius was left with only impatience.

"Nymphadora..." he began to chastise as her face meted back into a less grotesque visage.

"It's Tonks. And come on Sirius, it's the only fun I get in this place! So sweet of you to bring her by to meet the family though. Shall we get lunch?"

"No, this is all business. We need to know whose this is and where we can find them," Sirius said, tossing the badge onto Tonk's cluttered desk.

"Where'd you snag this? Someone's in plenty of trouble for losing it, trust me," she said as she waved her stick over it.

The numbers on the badge slowly morphed and wiggled about the badge though Tonks had to poke one of them a few times to get it going. Inch by inch they moved into position, slowly spelling out a name.

Alexandra Moore.

* * *

><p><em>10:45 AM<em>

_Covingham, Swindon_

The Knight Bus vanished with a bang leaving Harry stranded in front of a modest looking, single story white building with blue tinted windows that wrapped around all sides. Harry would have mistaken the building for a nondescript office building if it had not been for the small sign in the grass in front indicating that the building belonged to "Granger and Granger Dentistry."

Knowing that he was in the right place, Harry walked through the front door and into the waiting room. Blue and cream checked carpet tiles covered the floor of the rectangular room. Directly in front of the door a three meter wide window was cut in the wall, which served as a receptionist desk. The desk was flanked on either side by a single door of frosted glass framed by dark wood. Chairs surrounded the waiting room, but Harry found it odd that none of them were filled.

Tentatively he approached receptionist who looked up at him in boredom and offered no greeting. Harry estimated her age at about nineteen, but his impression of her maturity level was not aided by her chewing gum or the light blonde highlights that streaked her otherwise dirty blonde hair.

"Um," Harry began, "I need to talk to Richard and Ell... erm, I mean Dr. Granger. Both of them actually."

Amdanda, the receptionist, eyed Harry carefully as she continued to chew. "Dr. Ellen Granger is out of the country for a conference. Do you have an appointment with Dr. Richard Granger?" she asked lazily.

"No," he replied. "It's kinda an emergency."

"Just a sec," she said. "Lemme see if he has any openings later today."

"Later today? Are you kidding me?" Harry asked in growing irritation. "I just told you it's an emergency. Now are you going to tell him that Harry's here or not?"

"Look kid, I don't know who you are. I've never seen you in here. So I can tell you that telling the doctors that a 'Harry' is here won't do you any good. If it's really an emergency then go to the emergency room."

"Oh sod it," Harry snapped as he pushed away from the desk and stomped over to the door to the right.

"Hey!" Amanda cried. "You can't go in there!"

"Watch me," Harry muttered as he wrenched the door open and strode inside, sparing Amanda a brief look as he passed by her enclosed desk space.

"I said you can't come in here! I'll call the police!"

But Harry ignored her and walked down the hall that stretched from the door, lined on either side by several doors and nooks housing various examination equipment. The only closed door he saw lay at the end of the hall, so he assumed that that must be the office of either Richard or Ellen.

Picking up his pace, Harry approached the door only to stop several meters short as he passed by a large alcove on his right. Standing just inside, an x-ray image aimed at the light in the ceiling, was Richard Granger, apparently deep in thought about whatever he was looking at.

"Richard!" Harry exclaimed, rushing into the alcove.

Instantly, the older man whipped around to see the newcomer.

"Harry?" he asked, confused. "What're you doing here?"

"Hermione's missing," Harry blurted out.

"What?" Richard shouted, dropping the x-ray in shock. "What do you mean missing?"

"She wasn't there this morning and I found her wand and signs of a struggle in her dorm when I went up there. And I don't even know where to start looking."

"And law enforcement?" Richard asked as he quickly led the way out of the room, his long strides struggling to be matched by Harry.

"Can't talk to them," Harry said. "I think they were in on it."

"Brilliant," Richard groaned. "Amanda!" he barked as he reached the reception desk. "Cancel all of my appointments for the rest of the week. I've got-"

"But Dr. Granger," she protested, "you've got the Walden boy's excision this afternoon!"

"Refer it to Dr. Pennfield. Or Dr. Nawley. I don't care. Just cancel my appointments, alright?" Without waiting for a response, Richard tore open the door to the waiting room as his receptionist stared on in shock.

"Now tell me everything you know," Richard demanded as they walked out the front door of the practice.

"I already did," Harry told him. "She's missing and I don't know where she is. Oh, and to make matters worse, your house was attacked this morning-"

"WHAT?" Richard bellowed.

"I already took care of the intruders," the younger man reassured him. "But I went there to find you first, and I found three blokes in your house tearing it apart. One of them was complaining that he couldn't find where your practice was. I think they were planning on going after you!"

Richard fished his keys out of his pocket and made for his Jaguar, but Harry stopped him. "No!" he exclaimed. "If they knew where you live, they probably know what you drive too. We can't risk it. Besides, I know a faster way.'

In a heartbeat, Harry whipped out his wand and trained it at the sky. An instant later, a familiar purple bus appeared in front of him.

"This is how I've been getting around all day," Harry explained. But as he turned to Richard, he noticed the confusion etched on his face. Then he realized the problem; he were unable to see the Knight Bus.

"You can't see it can you?" he asked unnecessarily.

"See what?" Richard asked in confusion.

Harry sighed. "Come on," he said, offering out his hand. "Take my hand." Richard did as he requested and Harry guided him toward the door of the bus. "Now there's a step here, so step up."

Hesitantly, Richard allowed Harry to guide him and found himself pulled aboard what appeared to be a traditional triple-decker bus. With the exception of the outrageous-looking passengers, of course.

"Neville," Stan began as Harry pulled Richard aboard, "ya can't 'ave muggles aboard. 's the Statute of Secrecy an' all that."

Harry rolled his eyes and sighed. "And how much would it cost me to let him ride?" he asked exasperatedly.

"He can' ride Neville!"

Harry shook his head and reached into his pocket briefly. He then tossed a galleon into the fare box. "How about now?"

Stan shook his head once more, which caused Harry to delve into his pocket once more. The fare box clanged once again as another galleon dropped inside.

"It jus' ain't done!" Stan protested as another galleon fell into the box.

"But it coul' work... it'd be 'ard though."

A fourth galleon found its way into the fare box.

"He was ne'er 'ere," Stan said conclusively.

"Thanks, Stan," Harry replied. "I knew you were a man I could work with. Now, Number 37, Baskerville Road please." With that, he turned and led the way down the center aisle of the bus to the back row.

"What's going on Harry?" Richard asked frantically as the three took their seats.

"I don't know," he responded honestly. "All I know is that Hermione hasn't been seen by anyone today. She left her wand in her room, which she would never do, and the place was a mess. How her roommates didn't notice that I don't know, but that's beside the point. Your home was also attacked by a group of magical thugs, but I managed to take them out... but I kinda lit your sitting room on fire."

"You what?" his companion barked.

"They were the one who used a fire curse!" Harry replied emphatically. "It was all I could do to put the fires out! But I'll pay for the damage!" He paused briefly to collect himself. "Anyway, I've got Sirius following up on the Auror badge," Harry explained. "But I think the blokes who attacked your house have to be connected to Hermione's disappearance. It's just too coincidental otherwise. Maybe we could follow up with them? See where they came from and who sent them?"

"Makes sense," Richard concurred gruffly. "But when I get my hands on them..."

"You'll have to wait in line," Harry interrupted. "Because I get first dibs."

* * *

><p><em>10:58 AM<em>

_?_

Hermione slowly and painfully climbed onto the crates against the wall of her small cell, taking care to favor her stomach in the process. Despite the fact that it had been more than an hour since her captor had visited, the pain still persisted.

Curling into a ball, Hermione tucked her chin into her knees and sobbed once again. Try as she might, she had been unable to break the bonds on either her wrists or her ankles, and the door appeared to be locked from the outside. The window near the ceiling was too high for her to reach, even if her hands were free. And her screams and pleas for help continued to be ignored.

She was alone and without any avenue of escape.

As her mind raced, trying desperately to think of some method of escape, the door opened once again, revealing the same large, bearded man as before, accompanied by two other men of average build.

"Hold her," the largest of the three commanded. Instantly, the other two leapt to her side, pulling her knees away from her chest.

"No!" she cried in desperation. "Stop it! Let me go!"

"You know girly," the fat man began, "you're too loud for your own good. We like loud, and so do our customers, but now's not the time for that. So time for a little quiet time." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a lengthy syringe, the needle of which glistened in the dusty sunlight that poured through the hazy window.

"No!" Hermione cried again, wrestling against the grip of her two attackers. Tears streamed down her face as the man approached, brandishing the needle menacingly.

"Hold her still," he ordered.

Hermione tried to kick against the man holding her feet, but the combination of his strength and her bonds made that impossible. As her shoulders were forced down onto the crate, she could see the needle quickly approaching.

Closing her eyes, Hermione begged herself to wake up; pleaded with herself to realize that this was all a horrible dream. But when she opened her eyes once more, she saw the needle sinking into her upper arm.

As the plunger was pushed into the syringe, Hermione closed her eyes again and prayed. She prayed that somebody would find her; that somebody would rescue her from this hell. As she felt the needle withdraw from her arm, a wave of peace and tranquility swept over Hermione.

When her captors released their hold on her shoulders and legs, she barely felt it as Hermione slipped further and further into the abyss. A feeling of freedom overcame her as Hermione escaped the confines of her body and was overwhelmed by the sensation of floating.

An instant later, there was nothing.

End of Chapter 3

A/N: Thank you all for reading this chapter and story so far, and for the kind words you left in your reviews for chapter 2. I do want to take a few moments to discuss a few matters pertaining to this story, as I usually do at the end of each chapter.

First, I wish to reiterate my stance on criticism. After posting chapter 2 I received a harsh review (which is no longer posted) which criticized various aspects of the characters in this story. However, it did not provide specifics. So once again, I ask that if you are going to criticize some element of my writing or story, please be specific. Providing some way to improve, or pointing out a specific instance where a character was mis-characterized is a great help to me. I like to write, and want to grow as a writer. But I cannot do that without open and honest two-way communication with you the reader. I like to think that, through these notes, I am being honest with you at the very least. What I am looking for is feedback, if needed, on plot development, character development, my writing style, grammatical issues, these notes, or anything else you feel important. One of my great weaknesses as a writer is my inability to write compelling action scenes. I realized this while writing The Divine Plan, and have therefore resolved to try and not write big, epic battle scenes anymore. That said, action scenes are very difficult, if not impossible to avoid, as we saw in this chapter. If any of you have suggestions on how to improve them, based on the taste you got in this chapter, I would appreciate them. So long as you feel that improvement is warranted, I welcome any suggestions or tips to help make myself a better writer.

I also want to mention that what has transpired in the story so far is only the tip of the iceberg. Like Stealing Time, this is a story in several acts. So far we have only got the faintest hint of future acts, but that will start to become more apparent as we move forward. But I do want to mention that the tone of this story is much darker than Stealing Time. That may not be entirely apparent yet, however as I write this note I am finishing the writing of chapter 6. That chapter has been a real struggle for me to write in several ways. In truth, it has been quite easy to write in the sense that I have been able to write it very quickly, despite it being the longest chapter yet. However, the subject matter that it deals with was very difficult for me to write. I will leave any discussion of that for the note at the end of that chapter, but I will mention that I had to consult the TOS for this site several times during the writing process.

I do want to congratulate the following readers for correctly guessing the title of this chapter:

osc360

AnEndHasAStart1992

luvsanime02

imagelesssky

Thank you all for guessing and I hope more of you continue to participate in future chapters!

**Chapter Title Hint:** This vaudeville song is perhaps best known for its a cappella bridge section, performed with only the voices of Freddie Mercury and Roger Taylor. I do have to say that my favorite bit of that is the kazoo-like noise Taylor is able to produce. In any event, the title of this song deals with a meeting of sorts, and the title is directly applicable to a location that we will be visiting in the next chapter.

Thank you all again for reading. Please leave me a review telling me what you think of this chapter or of the story in general. Reader reviews are the fuel that keeps a writer writing; they serve as inspiration and reassurance that there is actually somebody out there that is enjoying all of the hard work they are putting into their story. I never used to hold that view before I started writing on this site, but now that I have a few stories under my belt, I can honestly attest to the truth of that statement. While I cannot speak for all authors, as a writer I pour my heart and soul into my writing, constantly trying to improve. Without you to encourage me and provide feedback, that task is next to impossible. I cannot say that I am the best writer out there, but I want to be, and I put the effort into my writing to try and get there. You, the reader, are an integral tool to accomplishing that goal.

So I thank all of you, my treasured readers, for reading and joining me on this adventure. If you enjoy what I write, or have some form of constructive criticism, please leave it in the form of a review. Thank you, and I will see you again soon with chapter 4.


	5. Seaside Rendezvous

Author's Note: I know I do not usually put notes at the beginning of the chapter, but several reader reviews have prompted me to do so. These reviews have expressed concern that Hermione may be raped in this story. At the bottom of this chapter, in my usual note, I will discuss this matter, with a reasonable degree of spoilers. For those who do not wish to view the spoilers, they will be clearly marked. Thank you.

Chapter 4

**Seaside Rendezvous**

_11 AM_

_Hogwarts_

Ron Weasley surveyed the scene in front of him. The sixth year Gryffindor students had remained in the Room of Requirement for safety after confining the Inquisitorial Squad to their cells. Their uprising against the Inquisitorial Squad had signified the beginning of something much larger. Realizing that such an event would not be taken lightly by the Headmistress, Ron and the others had concluded that the best course of action was to press on; to attempt to remove Umbridge from power.

But the logistics were proving to be a problem.

"So at the very least we need to get our wands back from Umbridge," Ron concluded loudly, speaking from the head of the large table in the center of the room. "We're pretty much useless without them. Yeah, we've got a couple of wands, but not enough, since I'm sure that the rest of the Slytherins won't be jumping to help us out."

"But why don't we just take out Umbridge while we're in her office?" Dean asked. "I mean, that would just be the easiest thing to do; kill two birds with one stone!"

Ron shook his head. Seemingly channeling Hermione, he launched into a brief lecture. "We need allies," he said. "How'd it look if we suddenly knocked out the Headmistress? We're just a small group, so it wouldn't look good from the outside, especially if the Slytherins are still slithering about. But if we had a bunch of other people on our side, then we just might be able to do it."

"Like who?"

"What about the Hufflepuffs?" Ron suggested. "Umbridge said that she was suspending us because we walked out of class. Well, so did the Hufflepuffs, right? So did she suspend them too? Then where are they? We can recruit them to our side. Then there's the staff. We need to at least get some professors on our side too. I doubt the Greasy Bat will want in, but I'm sure McGonagall might help us. Or at least Hagrid if we could find him."

"How?" Neville asked tentatively.

Ron paused. He had not considered that. He had been so proud of himself for coming up with a semblance of a strategy for taking down Delores Umbridge that he had not bothered to think of the means by which that plan would be accomplished.

"Uh..." Ron trailed off, thinking aloud as he surveyed the occupants of the room. "Well... there are six of us," he continued, counting Seamus, Dean, Lavender, Pavarti, Neville, and himself, "which means we could split up. How many wands did we get?"

Lavender turned to count the prisoners. "Four," she said.

Ron shook his head. "Make that three. Malfoy's wand broke. Stupid prick doesn't know how to use it right I guess. Anyway, that means we could split into pairs and have one wand each. Or at least, that's what I'm thinking. One group can go get the rest of the wands, one group can find the Hufflepuffs, and one can go and talk to the professors."

"Count me out of going after Professor Snape," Neville said. "He hates me."

"Doesn't he hate everyone?" Ron asked. He took a deep breath. "Fine... I'll do it. I guess somebody's got to talk to McGonagall, so it might as well be me."

"I'll find the Hufflepuffs!" Lavender volunteered.

"An' I'll go wit' 'er!" Seamus said instantly, earning a chuckle from Ron and a few others.

"So big of you," Ron muttered, smirking at Seamus's desperation. "Fine, so it's Seamus and Lavender. Who wants to go after the wands?" Instantly, Dean and Pavarti's hands shot up. "Does nobody want to go with me?" Ron asked, but received no answer. "Fine then, Dean and Pavarti can go after the wands. Neville, that leaves you with me."

"But I don't want to go see Snape!" Neville cried.

Ron shrugged. "Sometimes we've gotta do things we don't wanna do mate," he said. "Honestly, you didn't volunteer for anything else, so it looks like you're stuck with me. If it makes you feel any better though, I don't want to see Snape any more than you do."

Neville sighed as his shoulders sagged in resignation. "Fine..." he groaned.

"So what are we waiting for?" Ron asked as he looked at the others.

But as the few wands were distributed and the group prepared to move out, they were interrupted.

"Quite the plan you've come up with there Weasley," a voice sneered.

Ron whipped around to see that Draco had finally regained consciousness and was standing at the edge of his cell, face pressed against the bars.

"Sod off Malfoy," Ron groaned for the second time that day.

"I intend to, just as soon as you open these doors," Draco said.

Ron had a brilliant response planned up, he really did, but at that very moment the door to the Room of Requirement swung open. The few people who had managed to pilfer wands immediately swung them towards the intruding figure.

"Oh, the Snarflepuggles haven't gotten hold of you to make you delusional have they?" Asked Luna in a dreamy voice.

"Luna? What're you doing here?" Seamus asked in bewilderment.

"When you didn't come to class I thought you might have forgotten to invite me to a DA meeting," she said as if such a thing would be perfectly ordinary.

"That's not exactly what I'd call this," Dean deadpanned.

"Are they here to study too?" Luna asked as she motioned towards the mostly unconscious Slytherins.

"Oh yes," Draco said with a faint hint of outrage, "We're definitely all here to study. We're practicing locking people up."

"Then I think you're doing a very good job," Luna said a bit serenely, drawing a giggle from Lavender.

"We're actually about to go run off but we'll be back pretty quickly. Luna, stay here and practice keeping the Slytherins locked up," Ron ordered.

"As long as you really do come back. Sometimes people seem to say that they will and forget to come back," Luna said with an awkward honesty that drew a flush to Ron's ears.

At his earlier prompting, the Gryffindors split, with Seamus and Lavender leaving the room together along with the pair of Dean and Pavarti. As a result, Ron and Neville were left alone in the Room of Requirement with the imprisoned Slytherins.

"How are we even going to get to the dungeons to see Snape?" Neville asked. "We have to get past the Inquisitorial Squad, and they're pretty much everywhere these days."

In response, Ron whipped out the Marauder's Map and whispered a series of inaudible words. Neville's eyes grew wide as he watched a spider web of lines form, detailing not only the many hallways of Hogwarts but their denizens as well. Ron stared at the map intently, watching as various Slytherins wandered about the school and attempting to ascertain the safest route to the dungeons.

He noticed that the other two groups were having good success in safely reaching their destinations, but the dungeons, by nature, had more Slytherins to contend with. But then Ron remembered the secret passages, and began to hunt the map for one nearby. He soon spotted one in a nearby corridor which happened to lead to classroom in the dungeons that always seemed to be conveniently locked.

"We'll just have to take that secret passageway... if we can get open," Ron said as he pointed at the map. Whispering the password to deactivate the map, Ron led Neville into the deserted hallway outside of the Room of Requirement. Neville nodded in silent agreement as they snuck about the school, keeping a close eye on the map. Twice they were nearly caught, evading scouring eyes by a hairsbreadth.

But after several minutes of careful sneaking, they finally arrived at the portrait that, at least according to the map, hid the passageway.

"Sir... Cadogan?" Ron asked as they stopped, stunned.

"Bah! I should jolly well think not! That bleedin' sop of a fop is not worth being a squire unto a knight such as myself! I am Sir Caridoc of the Green!" shouted an absurdly dressed knight on a familiar looking fat pony as he looked down from his portrait with disdain.

"Err, that's all well and good but can you let us into the passage?"

"Not without the password you rapscallions! Especially not if you are aligned with that blackguard, Cadogan!"

"Password? How would we know what the password is you barmy old knight!" Ron shouted back.

"A pox upon you and your rust tinged family! I shall parlay with ye no longer Ginger!" The Knight roared, startling his pony.

"Uhm, may I just ask what the password is?" Neville inquired politely.

"Of course! The password remains 'Heraclitus!'"

"...Heraclitus?" Neville said. And the portrait swung open to reveal a long stair case covered in dust. The pair of boys stepped inside, stirring it up into the air.

"A lot of the portraits will just tell you if you ask, actually. But what do you think this thing does?" Neville asked, motioning towards what appeared to be a giant horn emerging from the wall.

"Dunno," Ron replied as he cast a quick lumos to light up the gloom. Just as he did that, Neville reached out and tugged on the horn, pulling it slightly loose. Instantly, the stairs gave way beneath them, becoming a smooth ramp that sent the two teens careening downward.

* * *

><p><em>11:09 AM<em>

_Ministry of Magic, London_

"So where is this Auror Moore?" Sirius asked his cousin, Nymphadora Tonks. A few minutes before, he and his girlfriend Christine Nethridge had found out that an actual Auror had been involved in the disappearance of Hermione Granger from her dormitory at Hogwarts. To find Hermione, they would have to talk with Auror Alex Moore.

"That's not something I can tell you Sirius," Tonks admitted.

"It's an emergency Nympha-"

"Don't call me that," she growled.

"It's an emergency!" Sirius repeated, omitting her name. "We need to know where to find her!"

"And I can't tell you because I don't know!" Tonks replied emphatically. "Only the head of the Auror office and the head of the DMLE have access to Auror personnel files or can give people authorization to view them! All I know is that she's off duty right now! Honestly, that's all I can tell you!"

"DMLE?" Christine asked.

"Department of Magical Law Enforcement," Sirius explained. "Run by a woman named Amelia Bones. Nice woman. Fair. I'll tell you about her later. Tonks, I need to see her."

"I already told you Sirius! I don't know where-"

"Not Moore! Bones! I need to talk to Madam Bones!"

"She should be in her office right around now," Tonks offered. "Let me just send her a note to let her know you're coming." She pulled out a piece of parchment from her desk drawer and set to work, causing Sirius to roll his eyes.

"Don't bother," he said. "I know where her office is. I was there all summer remember?" He spun on his heel and stormed away from his cousin's desk with Christine in tow.

Christine glanced behind them as Sirius sped away, watching as Tonks stared after them in confusion. "What do you mean you were there all summer?" she asked as Sirius led her away.

"It's a long story," he replied cryptically. "And I'll explain it to you later. Right now we need to talk to Madam Bones."

"To see where this... Auror is?"

"Right. I'm sure if we explain the situation well enough, Amelia'll give us the information we want."

However, just as Sirius finished speaking, he felt a buzzing emanating from his pocket. He pulled out his mirror and tapped its corner.

"Harry again?" Christine whispered to his side just before the image of the raven-haired teen materialized.

"Anything new Harry?" Sirius asked the mirror as his godson appeared.

"I've got Richard here with me," Harry began, as the older man appeared in the corner of the mirror. "And we're going back to their house to check on those blokes and see if we can figure out where they came from."

"Just Richard? What about Ellen?"

"Apparently Ellen's in Toronto for some big dentist conference or something like that. Last minute thing and all that. Actually, that's why I'm calling. Remember how the Grangers' house was attacked?" Sirius nodded. "I have a feeling it's connected to Hermione's disappearance. It's just too convenient to be anything else. I almost think that Richard and Ellen are being targeted."

"So you're worried about Ellen?"

Harry nodded. "I just have a feeling that they might go after her; whoever's behind all of this. And who knows? Maybe they won't But it's better to be safe than sorry."

"I can't go and get her right now Harry," Sirius told him. "I'm at the Ministry tracking down this Auror of yours. We have a name at least, but we have to talk to Amelia Bones about finding out where she is."

"No," Harry replied, shaking his head. "I wasn't thinking that you go. I just wanted to see if you could get hold of Remus. I don't know where he is, and even if I did, I don't have access to a floo anywhere near me."

"So you want me to ask Moony to run over to Canada for you?" Sirius sighed and shook his head. "Fine. I'll get on it. Do you have any idea where she's at?"

The perspective of the mirror shifted as Harry handed his mirror to Richard. "She's at the University of Toronto," he stated as the image stabilized on the elder Granger's face. "I think she said that the conference was being held at the School of Dentistry or something like that. But I do know that she's staying at a hotel by the Toronto airport... the Mariott I think."

Sirius sighed. "That should be good enough," he said. "I'll give Moony a call and let him know that he's useful again and I'll get back to you." He tapped the corner of the mirror, causing the image to vanish. He knew that Remus was already tailing Ellen in Canada, without the knowledge of the Grangers. The Order of the Phoenix had decided to use their resources to try and protect the Grangers when they were exposed, following their adventure in Las Vegas. He just was unable to say as much to Harry, for fear that Richard would overhear.

"I don't know how long I'm gonna be," Sirius told Christine, keeping up the charade. "He could be out of the house and I may have to hunt down his sorry arse. You see that door straight ahead?" He stared down the short hallway that ran adjacent to the main Auror workspace. Several doors and glass windows lined the hallways, none of them open. "Madam Bones is at the end. I just need you to let her know what's going on while I'm gone. If everything goes fine I should be back soon. But there's no reason to waste time is there?"

"You want me to go in there and talk to her?" Christine balked. "I don't know anything about this world! How am I supposed to explain it to her?"

"You know what's going on," Sirius replied with a shrug. "Just tell her what happened and what we know. I'm only going to be gone for a little bit, so I'll be there soon. I just want to get the ball rolling as soon as possible. Every second counts you know."

She rolled her eyes. "I know that!" she scoffed. "I do work in law enforcement!" She took a deep breath. "Fine. Go do what you have to do. I'll go talk to here. Be quick about it though, will you?"

Sirius spun on one foot and strode away from her quickly, leaving Christine alone in the hall leading to the office of Madam Bones. Christine took a deep breath before locking her eyes on the closed door at the end of the hall. "Well, here goes nothing," she muttered as she took off toward the door.

The walk to the door was shorter than Christine had hoped, and she soon found herself standing in front of the office of the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. She tentatively knocked and stood back, waiting.

But she received no response.

Taking another deep breath, Christine cautiously reached for the handle and turned it slowly, pushing the door open as she did so.

The door creaked open to reveal a modest office of blues and greens, the former on the floor and the latter on the walls. Great walnut bookshelves lined the walls of the circular office on either side of the door, stopping approximately two thirds of the way around the room as the wall morphed into a wide window overlooking the Ministry atrium.

Directly in front of the window sat a moderately-sized desk that matched the walnut shelves, opposite which rested a pair of dark green leather chairs.

"Um... hello?" Christine asked nervously as she pushed open the door.

The lone figure seated behind the desk looked up at the newcomer, monocle glinting under the sliver of light from the hallway.

"Um... hi," Christine said timidly. "I'm Christine Nethridge. I was told to come and see you about an Auror problem?"

Slowly the severe looking woman behind the desk lowered the piece of parchment in her hands. "Auror problem?" she repeated slowly.

Gaining confidence at not being thrown out of the office immediately, Christine stepped further inside. "My niece... Hermione Granger, is missing," she began. "We found a badge... an Auror badge in her room. One of the people out there told us that it belonged to a Ms. Moore, and I was wondering if you could tell us where she is so we can ask her about it."

"Personal information regarding my Aurors is classified Ms... Nethridge was it? I cannot simply release that sort of information to anyone who comes into my office, for obvious reasons."

"Obvious reasons?" she balked, finding her confidence... and anger. "Forgive me if I think that the privacy of your precious Aurors is less important than the safety of my niece!"

Madam Bones took a deep, calming breath. "Ms. Nethridge," she began, "I understand your predicament. However, if I may be so blunt, I do not know you. I have never heard your name before, even though I am at least somewhat familiar with Ms. Granger."

"What difference does it make if you haven't heard of me? I'm her aunt! Her mother is my sister! How can you just sit there and tell me that there's nothing you can do for me? Don't you have any idea of what she could be going through?"

"I absolutely understand. I have a niece myself who just happens to be of the same age as Ms. Granger. I would be beside myself if anything happened to her. However, there are certain... precautions I must take before releasing the personal information of my Aurors."

"Couldn't you just call Auror Moore in here and question her yourself?"

Amelia paused for a moment to consider Christine's suggestion. However, in the midst of the silence, the door to the office burst open once more as Sirius swept inside.

"Ah Amelia. I see you've met Christine," he said as he closed the door behind himself.

"Sirius Black," Amelia began, rising from her seat. "I should have known you would be behind this."

"I hate to disappoint you," he replied, grasping her hand warmly, "but I'm not behind anything. I'm sure Christine here has brought you up to speed with our predicament?"

"Your predicament?" Bones asked. "I thought it was her niece that was missing."

"And it is. But her niece also happens to be my godson's girlfriend. And there are a couple of other family ties I won't bore you with. Suffice it to say I've got a vested interest in finding Hermione."

"And as I was telling her, there is little I can do to help. Auror private information is just that, private. I can't go handing it out to people freely."

Sirius took a seat in one of the armchairs in front of the desk. Christine followed his lead and claimed the other chair. "That's perfectly understandable," Sirius conceded, "under normal circumstances. However, these are not normal circumstances. Harry found an Auror badge in Hermione's dormitory... the same dormitory that apparently looked like it had been ransacked and destroyed earlier in the day. He also found Hermione's wand on the scene. Now if that doesn't scream 'taken against your will,' what does? We found out that the badge belongs to an Auror Moore. All we want to do is talk to her and see if she knows anything."

Amelia removed her monocle and brushed it on her robe briefly before replacing it. "My point still stands," she responded. "And I do not have time to spend questioning Auror Moore right now. The Ministry is preparing to receive the Centaur ambassador, and Minister Fudge is insisting that I head up the security detail."

"Then just let us take a look at the records!" Sirius exclaimed, beginning to lose his temper. He took a deep breath to calm himself. "Madam Bones... I know you are fair and just; you proved that when I brought you Peter Pettigrew. But there are times to bend the rules a bit." He paused, allowing silence to permeate the room as he thought to himself briefly. "What would Edgar say?" he asked after a moment. He held his breath in anticipation, waiting for her inevitable explosion.

But it did not come.

"What would Edgar say?" she asked coldly. "Would that be before or after he ran off with you and Potter to his death at the hands of You-Know-Who?"

"Edgar died a hero! He wasn't too afraid to stand up against the worst witches and wizards of the age with nothing but his wand and his friends. Your parents understood he did what was right; they supported him. Can you not see even now why he did it? Even now when Voldemort is back?"

"You think he's back as well?"

"The Prophet is running interference for Fudge. You must have noticed the changes, you're the head of the DMLE! But if you're not going to do it for us, do it for Harry. He's the only one who has lost more to You-Know-Who than yourself. He's why they're after Hermione."

"What proof do you have that You-Know-Who is behind this?"

"Who else would be kidnapping teenage girls in the middle of the night from Hogwarts? Either it's Voldemort or it's your own department without your knowledge. Which one would you rather believe? But we can't know for sure unless we talk to Moore. And that's where you come in. We just need to know where she is."

Amelia's eyes shifted between Sirius and Christine, both of whom were waiting expectantly, the latter with her arms crossed. Finally, she sighed in resignation.

"Don't make me regret this Black," she began. "I'm only doing it this once. Edgar trusted you and I will too. However, as I mentioned before, I am extremely busy with the upcoming visit of the Centaur ambassador. At the same time, I am certain that a visit to the Ministry Archives would prove educational to the both of you." She opened the drawer of her desk and pulled out a blank sheet of parchment before scribbling a short note. "This will grant you access to the Archives as well as the Auror files," she said as she handed Sirius the note. "However, please do not abuse it."

"Abuse?" Sirius asked in mock shock. "Why Amelia, what do you take me for?"

"A fiend and a prankster?" Christine supplied helpfully, earning a joking glare from her boyfriend.

Amelia merely fixed them with a disapproving stare.

Sirius nodded. "Right. Chrissy? Shall we?" He offered his arm which she took with a roll of her eyes before he led her out of the office.

* * *

><p><em>11:21 AM<em>

_Hogwarts_

"Look, we were just training! So you can let me out1 Merlin, be reasonable!" Draco shouted, drawing groans for the mentally muddled Slytherins who were starting to wake up. He could not believe his luck. Weasley and the others had left Loony Lovegood in charge of the Inquisitorial Squad members, and had only told her that it was 'practice.' Convincing her to let them out was going to be a piece of cake... or so he thought.

"You know I can't do that," Luna said in a sing-song voice.

"Why not?" Draco asked, stunned. He had not expected any resistance from her.

"Because it's the training for the DA today. I have to watch the prisoners."

"What if I offered to buy one of those _Quibbler_s every month?" Bribery. Draco's father had always taught him that the way to convince anyone to bend to your will was with money. Draco also knew that her precious _Quibbler_ was no match for the _Daily Prophet_, and could use every subscriber it could get.

"Not even."

"Twice a month? What if I just gave you a pile of Galleons and you can buy as many _Quibbler_s for me as you want?" Draco could barely keep the distaste out of his mouth.

Luna's serene face dropped and her eyes flashed a dangerous blue.

"I am not as stupid as you take me for Draco Malfoy," she hissed.

The boy's face managed to somehow get paler yet, his eyes wide as Luna's dreamy air returned to her. Draco knew Luna's reputation for airiness, insanity and social awkwardness, but this volatility was unheard of from the girl. However, as quick as it came, it vanished and she returned to smiling serenely.

"Um... right," he stammered, taken aback by her sudden change in demeanor.

"But that does not stop me from talking to you," Luna added in a singsong voice.

"I won't be getting out of here, will I?" Draco asked, feeling extremely off kilter.

Luna simply laughed and shook her head before pulling out her copy of the _Quibbler_. It was going to be a long day for Draco.

* * *

><p><em>11:24 AM<em>

_Number 37 Baskerville Road, Covingham, Swindon_

The Knight Bus lurched to a stop in front of the Granger residence in Covingham, depositing Harry and Richard on the street before disappearing with a bang.

"You magic types, you can fly, magically appear and disappear, travel through fireplaces and all that yet you still ride on that insane contraption?" Richard asked as the garishly colored nightmare machine vanished.

"Hey! I wasn't the one who came up with it!" Harry replied in his own defense.

"No you didn't. But you did say something about burning the house down. Looks perfectly alright to me."

"Just wait until you see the inside," Harry muttered as the two walked toward the front door.

However, as they approached the house, they spotted several figures through the window, moving about inside.

"Wait!" Harry whispered, pushing Richard against the side of the house. "There's someone in there."

"Again? I thought you said you got rid of all of them."

"I did. There were only three of them before. But..." he trailed off as he peered through the window, holding Richard back against the wall between the front door and the sitting room window. "Looks like there are four more. Merlin! They're Aurors!"

"They're the good guys, right?"

"I'm not sure anymore, I found one of their badges under Hermione's bed."

"What?" Richard blurted out.

"Shh!" Harry hissed. "Do you want them to hear us? I can't imagine that they're here to throw us a welcoming party! I used quite a bit of magic here earlier!"

"But why would you be in trouble if you were just defending yourself?"

Harry shrugged. "I dunno... unless..." he trailed off.

"Unless what?"

"Unless that bitch Umbridge sicced them on me for skipping school. She, um, kinda threatened me with expulsion."

"But why would she send Aurors after you?"

"You don't know Umbridge. She's one who would... oh crap! They saw me!"

Harry leapt away from the wall, pulling Richard with him.

"And you think they'll just overlook what they saw if we hide now?" Richard asked sarcastically. "It's my house, I'm not sure I need to be hiding."

Richard strode to the door and swung it open only to be surrounded by a group of Aurors.

"Name!" one of them shouted demandingly.

"Richard Granger, now would any of you care to explain just what you're doing in my house?"

"Mr. Granger you are hereby under arrest for possible violations of the statue of secrecy!"

"I'm what?" Richard shouted before Harry reached over and yanked him back out of the doorway. "What's going on?"

"Who's that with Granger?" another one of the Aurors barked, rushing out the door in pursuit. "It's Potter!"

"Dammit!" Harry cursed. "That's our cue." He released his grip on Richard's arm and ran down the drive and into the street, followed closely by Richard.

As he ran, Harry glanced over his shoulder to see a trio of Aurors in hot pursuit, wands drawn.

"Potter! Get your ass back here!" they shouted.

Harry leapt over the short hedgerow on the side of the house directly across the street from the Grangers and ducked around the corner of the house. Pressing himself up against the wall panting, he looked over to see Richard doing the same next to him.

"Come on," Harry gasped, grabbing Richard by the arm once again and pulling him toward the row of tall hedges that lined the back garden.

The two burst through the shrubs and stopped. Harry spun and pulled two of the plants apart to see the Aurors just rounding the house.

"Can't you call that crazy bus of yours? How long would it take to get here anyway?" Richard asked in a hushed whisper as Harry continued to watch the Aurors. However, just as he finished speaking, Harry was spotted by the lead Auror.

"There they are!" he shouted, running toward the shrubs.

"Too long," Harry breathed as the pair moved to flee once again. But they were stopped by a hand on each of their shoulders.

"Harry, Mr. Granger," a calming voice said from behind them. "Do not be alarmed."

As the mysterious voice finished speaking, Harry and Richard felt themselves squeezed from all sides as they disappeared with a tiny pop.

* * *

><p><em>11:33 AM<em>

_Hogwarts_

An enormous dust cloud followed the two boys shot through the tunnel. Ron was sure he had more than a few bruises from slamming into the smooth stone walls as they twisted and turned.

But after several minutes, they were at last flung out another portrait hole in a plume of dust.

"Is it always so painful when you do these kinds of things with Harry and Hermione?" Neville asked as he brushed himself off. The pair found themselves in what appeared to be a dilapidated old classroom. From the dank air and dim lighting, they assumed they were near or in the dungeons.

"Usually it's worse, honestly."

"Then I'm glad you don't invite me."

"It's alright really, other than that time with the spiders," Ron said as he checked the classroom door. The entire place was coated in a sheet of dust as thick as that of the tunnel with only their two pairs of footprints leading from the door towards the empty portrait. The spare potions classroom had clearly not been used in some time.

"Shouldn't we check the map before heading out? Always safe before sorry my gran says."

The map opened up to show that the dungeons were nearly deserted without any Inquisitorial Squad members showing up at all. Snape, however, seemed to be just down the corridor, walking, while the younger Slytherins seemed to be either in class or confined to their common room.

"Alohomora," Ron said, tapping his captured wand against the locked door. He reached for the door and jiggled it without any success.

"Try it again," Neville suggested. "Maybe because it's not your wand?"

Ron tapped at it once, twice and finally a third time only to find the door still locked.

"Here, lemme try," Neville said reaching for the door handle.

Suddenly it swung open to reveal the sour face of Severus Snape.

"Weasley... I should have known," Snape began. "I have come to the realization that without that insufferable know-it-all around you are actually a greater liability than before. I would have scarcely believed it possible."

"P-professor!" Neville stammered out.

"Did it never occur to your unfathomably slow mind that there was a reason we kept the peace at Hogwarts? That the Order and the teachers took instruction from a witch even less talented than yourself for a reason?"

"What could you possibly be getting out of having her around?" Ron demanded.

"A ministry employee with pureblood and racial purity notions is placed at Hogwarts and you cannot grasp the potential in that situation?" Snape sneered. "As long as Dolores Umbridge is Headmistress both the Dark Lord and the Minister are content to leave us be. However it seems you and Potter cannot help but ruin even the most agreeable situations."

"But Dumbledore is the real headmaster. He keeps You-Know-Who away, doesn't he?" Neville blurted.

"Insipid boy, Dumbledore has more important things to deal with than keeping up appearances here."

"Like what?" Ron asked.

"Has time with Potter truly left even you with delusions of deserving such knowledge? Now tell me boy, where are the Slytherins?"

"I'm not telling you a thing _Professor_," Ron snarled. Why he had ever thought that Snape would help them in their mission against Umbridge, he would never know.

"Typical. _ Legilimens_."

Ron screamed as Snape sliced through his mind, searching for the answers he sought. When he finally came across the information of the Room of Requirement he left. Ron dropped to his knees as he clutched his head, panting.

"What'd you do to him?" Neville shouted, moving between Snape and Ron. Snape's snarl dropped from his face as he stared at the boy, wandless yet moving between his friend and the threat.

"Sometimes... there is more of your father to you than one would suspect. Follow."

With a rap of the knuckles the empty portrait frame swung from the wall, revealing the half cleaned steps spiraling into the torch light. He strode off into it as Neville supported Ron's bulk, the two of them making uneven progress. A Ravenclaw member of the Inquisitorial Squad tried to stop the three of them as they entered the hallway, only to be waved away by Snape. In Hogwarts the headmistress may rule but few would care to test her will against that of Severus Snape.

At last, after several minutes, they drew to a halt in front of the Room of Requirement. Snape stared dispassionately at the wall in which the door would appear before gesturing to the boys to open it.

"You know what, _Professor,_ I'll have to pass this time. Not feeling so cheery," Ron said with a grimace. Snape began pacing back at forth, both boys wondering how he knew to do so. On the third passing a door materialized in the empty wall.

"Let us begin," Snape said coldly as he yanked open the door and strode through, leaving Ron and Neville in the hall outside.

Inside he found the room exactly as the two had left it, complete with Luna Lovegood standing guard over the imprisoned Slytherins.

"Miss Lovegood, your services are no longer required," Snape informed her as he entered.

Luna spun away from Draco's cell to face the newcomer. "But Professor-"

"Now Miss Lovegood."

She nodded tentatively before glancing over her shoulder one last time at Draco. Luna then trudged out of the room, her head hung in resignation.

"So," Snape began as soon as she had left, "you dunderheads managed to get yourselves caught. Hardly surprising as your Defense education has been lacking recently. Normally I would expect better from my own house, but it appears as though Potter and his band of merry misfits have seen fit to train harder than you."

"Professor," Gregory Goyle spoke up, "we were just doing what the Headmistress said..."

"The _Headmistress_," Snape spat, "is here only through political cronyism. She knows nothing of education or Defense. So why would you dunces find it a good idea to traipse around at her every whim?" His eyes scanned the room briefly before Goyle raised his hand to speak once more.

"Because she's the Headmistress-"

"Goyle, you asinine pillock! Sometimes your idiocy astounds even me! The house of Slytherin has never been one of blindly following authority or of following the pureblood way only! It is one of cunning, of taking advantage of shifting winds to make the best of every opportunity. I've seen none of that from any of you. For more than a year you have sat back and let your education go to waste. Have you no foresight? Can you not see that Defense skills will be vital to your lives in the near future? I assume not, otherwise you would not find yourselves locked up by a handful of unarmed Gryffindors!" Snape paused to take a breath. "However," he continued, calmer, "I must commend you for one thing. Your failure earlier today has sparked a series of events at Hogwarts. I do not believe that Madam Umbridge is long for this position. Before the day is out she will no longer be the Headmistress of Hogwarts. While Weasley and the others are more foolish than they are brave, I cannot disagree that there are benefits to removing Madam Umbridge from power. However, you now have a choice to make. Do you continue to follow her blindly to your own demise, or do you take advantage of the prevailing winds? That is a decision each of you must make. I would, however, be most displeased if you made the incorrect choice."

With a single flick of his wand, Snape opened all of the cells in the room, freeing the members of the Inquisitorial Squad from confinement.

"Professor," Pansy Parkinson began, "we don't have any wands. The ruddy Gryffindors took them."

"Then let that be a lasting lesson," Snape snapped. "Your wands are your responsibility. The fact that you lost them is your own fault."

"But-"

"You cannot blame others for your own shortcomings! If you fail, you have only yourself to blame. If you do not recognize that, and do not learn from your mistakes, then you will never find success, no matter how much you may attempt to exploit others. Now go to your dormitory."

With that, Snape spun and swept out of the room.

The members of the Inquisitorial Squad were left speechless and alone in the Room of Requirement. They were used to regular talks by their head of house, but rarely had they been subject to such a stern lecture.

"So now what?" Vincent Crabbe asked.

"What do you mean 'now what?'" Draco asked. "He said to go back to the dungeons, so that's what we're gonna do. So what're you waiting for?"

He did not receive a coherent verbal response as the other members of the Squad grumbled angrily as they exited the room. Pansy paused at the door and glanced back at Draco curiously, who had remained behind in the room, staring idly at the map of Hogwarts on the central table. She watched silently as he remained still, making no move to leave. Finally with a sigh, she pushed away from the door frame and left.

Meanwhile, left alone in the room, Draco continued to examine the map of Hogwarts. He knew Delores Umbridge to be weak, in more ways than he could begin to describe. Looking at the situation in the light that Severus Snape had provided, Draco was at a loss as to why he had followed her authority in the first place. Ever since she had come to Hogwarts she had systematically dismantled the various institutions of the school, beginning with Defense Against the Dark Arts class. She did trumpet pureblood superiority in private, but Draco was not so sure he could entirely subscribe to such rules anymore. They were after all hallmarks of the philosophy of Voldemort, a person who Draco had sworn he could not and would not follow. That fact alone cast a shadow on all of the teachings of his father Lucius.

Pondering these things, Draco came to a singular conclusion: that the day's events at Hogwarts, if they managed to succeed, were an opportunity. An opportunity for him to get in and score points with the winning side. For too long, he and his Slytherin housemates had been handed defeat after defeat, setback after setback at the hands of Harry Potter and his allies. But Draco had also learned over the summer that he could be successful when joined with Potter and the others.

Shuddering in distaste at that thought that he had actually accomplished something working with Potter, Draco left the map and made his way to the door. As he stepped out of the Room of Requirement however he stopped and turned.

There, standing against the wall just to the right of the door, was a familiar blonde.

"Lovegoo... Luna," he greeted with a curt nod. Suddenly an idea sparked in his mind. He could take advantage of this situation. He could earn points with the winning side. He mentally berated himself for not realizing it earlier. It would be too easy.

"Oh, Draco Malfoy," Luna replied dreamily. "Is everything alright?"

"Just Professor Snape telling us off. What're you still doing out here?"

"Going nowhere is better than going somewhere without purpose."

"Whatever," he said, shaking his head. "Do you know where the Weasel and Longbottom are?"

"Right now? I have no idea. But I do know they were going to go see Professor McGonagall."

"I thought you said you didn't know where they were?'

"I did. I don't know where they are at this second of course."

"Right..." he trailed off. Draco then paused briefly as he considered his options. "Come on," he said after a moment. "We're going after them."

"We?" Luna asked in confusion. "Why are you going to help them?"

Draco shrugged. "It's like Professor Snape says, 'any way the wind blows...'"

* * *

><p><em>11:35 AM<em>

_Number 12, Grimmauld Place_

"What was that lot doing in my house?" Richard bellowed at Harry. After vanishing from behind his neighbor's house, Richard and Harry now found themselves back in the sitting room of Number 12, Grimmauld Place.

"They were there because of Harry, Mr. Granger," a wizened voice came from the doorway. Richard and Harry turned their heads to the door as the imposing figure of Albus Dumbledore strode through, clad in garish purple and green robes and a single black glove on his right hand. "His earlier use of underage magic alerted the Aurors to his presence in your home. His departure from Hogwarts as well as his estrangement from the Ministry has only made matters worse."

"And what's your story?" Richard asked the newcomer. "You show up out of the clear blue... but at just the right time, and whisk us away to safety. We could have used you over the summer! What made you decide to show up now of all times?"

Harry nodded in agreement as Richard ranted at the Headmaster. Dumbledore had been conspicuously absent from their expedition to Las Vegas over the summer, to the point that not even Minerva McGonagall was able to contact him for guidance.

"Mr. Granger I can assure you that I have not been sitting idly by over these past months. I have actually been quite busy, tracking down and destroying Tom's handiwork. It is unfortunate how prolific he has become at creating his horcruxes. That has been my greatest failing in life; failing to turn Tom Riddle away from the path of darkness."

"Tom Riddle?" Richard whispered as he leaned over to Harry.

"Voldemort," he replied simply, his eyes never leaving Dumbledore.

"I now have but one remaining that I am aware of," Dumbledore continued, "with the exception of the one you obtained in America-"

"How do you know about that?" Harry asked in irritation, glaring at the Professor.

Dumbledore chuckled mirthfully. "Not all is as it always seems Harry. But that is a subject we must address another time, for I fear that there are more pressing issues at the present, and we have precious little time to waste. Am I right?"

"Hermione's missing."

"Ah yes, Miss Granger. First off Harry, let me congratulate you on the recent change in your relationship-"

"I thought you said we don't have time to waste?" Harry growled.

Dumbledore sighed. "Very well then Harry," he replied gravely. "I regret to inform you that I do not have any more information as to her whereabouts than you do. All I can do is provide guidance and support in your quest to find-"

"'Support?'" Harry shouted. "You mean you're just gonna sit back while we go out looking for her? She's your student! Isn't it your job to protect your students?" Dumbledore did not respond immediately as he allowed Harry's temper to simmer. "Oh, so you aren't gonna answer? In other words you're telling me I'm right, right? That you don't really care about your students? That you can't be bothered to take a few minutes out of your 'busy schedule' to bother looking for her?"

"Harry, please try to understand that-"

"I do understand! I think I understand pretty damn well thank you very much! You're sitting there with a smug, self-righteous look on your face while I'm out there busting my ass trying to find Hermione! The least you could do is lift a finger to help!"

Harry continued to seethe as Dumbledore took a calming breath. "May I speak now Harry?" he asked calmly in an attempt to placate the teen. Harry did not respond, but continued to glare at the older man. "I will take your silence as a yes. While it may not appear to be the case to you, I understand your plight Harry." Harry opened his mouth to protest, but Dumbledore raised his hand to silence him. "I allowed you to speak Harry, and now it is my turn. As unfortunate as the disappearance of Miss Granger is, it is only the beginning. Professor Snape has informed me..."

"Oh boy, here we go," Harry groaned.

"... that Tom is planning something," Dumbledore continued without skipping a beat. "Something large and mysterious. Uncovering this plot is what I am currently attempting to accomplish. I am of the impression that the disappearance of Miss Granger is part of something larger. It is too coincidental that something like that could happen, both so soon after your excursion to the United States as well as amidst the rumors of Tom's activity."

"So you think Voldemort's planning something and he needs Hermione for it?" Harry asked.

Dumbledore shook his head sadly. "I cannot say Harry. All I can say is that the timing is far too convenient to be pure coincidence. And that is what I am hoping to ascertain; what Tom is planning."

"So you're not gonna help us find Hermione because you're too busy chasing the wild goose that Snape let out?"

"Harry, you must understand that Professor Snape has only our best interests at heart."

Harry snorted. "Best interests? What planet are you living on? Have you even seen the way he treats his students? Or have you only seen him with the Slytherins? He's a menace! He's a right ponce who ridicules us and makes us feel like a pile of hippogriff dung. How can you not see that?"

"Harry, I hope that one day you can put aside your petty grudges... Professor Snape as well, and work together for the greater good. Now, if you will excuse me, I have several matters I must attend to." Dumbledore rose from his seat and straightened his robes before moving to the exit from the room.

"Wait," Harry called. "If you have so many important things to take care of, why were you watching us today?"

"You said it yourself Harry," the old wizard replied, not turning to face his pupil. "I had important things to take care of today."

With that, he swept out of the room, leaving Harry and Richard alone, dumbfounded.

"Did he just say that Hermione wasn't important?" Richard asked in confusion.

"I... I don't think so," Harry replied slowly. "I think he just said that I was more important."

"Why? What's so... I mean, don't take this the wrong way, but what's so important about you?"

"I'm the "Boy-Who-Lived" remember?"

"So? You lived when you shouldn't have. What's the big deal about that now?"

"I... don't know. I just always thought that's what the big deal was..."

"Doesn't make sense to me. But it's not really important right now, we've got to find Hermione. We can't get to our house to check out those people you took out, so we have no idea where they came from..."

"Wait! Yes we do!" Harry exclaimed, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the wallet he had swiped from one of the men earlier.

"You took their wallets? Why didn't you say so earlier?"

"Just one of them," Harry corrected. "And I forgot." He opened the wallet and began to search through its contents. Bloke's name is Elijah Briscoe. Not much in here though but a few pounds and a couple galleons-"

"Both? Must've been a player in both worlds."

"And a work identification card," Harry finished.

"What? Let me see!" Harry handed over the card with the man's picture and sat back in the sofa as Richard began his examination.

"Works at a place off of Cringle Street in London," Richard announced. "Shipping company actually. But that doesn't really tell us anything about where he came from."

"Yeah it does," Harry countered. "We don't have any other information besides that, since Sirius hasn't gotten back to us about the Auror angle. So the only lead we have is this guy's card."

"You're saying you want to go downtown and check out this place? What do you expect to find down there besides a pile of rotting fish?"

"And what do you expect to find sitting around here doing nothing? I'm gonna find Hermione dammit! And I'm not gonna do that sitting around on my lazy ass hoping that something falls into my lap!"

Richard saw the fire in Harry's eyes and realized that the young man was right. There was nothing to be accomplished sitting and waiting for Sirius and Christine to contact them. And try as he might, Richard could not figure out why he had even suggested otherwise. His daughter was missing. He should be the one taking the lead in finding her. But instead he let her young boyfriend take the lead, and he was doing a much better job of finding her than the father.

"You're right," Richard admitted. "And I'm sorry. I guess I just... I'm just kind of overwhelmed by the whole situation."

Harry nodded in understand. "I get that. But we can worry about feeling overwhelmed later, like when we've found Hermione. Right now we don't have any time to waste."

"So how do you want to get there?"

"I can't imagine taking the Knight Bus again," Harry said. "I just have a feeling that they'll be watching it now that the Aurors spotted me. Or at least for a little while I think. I don't want to use it unless we have to."

"So?"

Harry pondered his options aloud for a moment. "Apparition is out since I'm no good at it." At Richard's confused expression he explained. "The thing Dumbledore did to us. Anyway, we don't have access to a portkey... and my broom's locked up at Hogwarts. We could fly Buckbeak, but that would look a tad out of place... got it!"

"What?"

"Come on!" Harry ordered, leaping to his feet and rushing out of the room, through the foyer and kitchen and to the back door on the other side of the house.

"Where are you going?" Richard shouted after Harry, struggling to keep up with him. Harry burst through the back door and into the back garden, where he skidded to a stop, Richard doing the same immediately thereafter.

There, resting on the lawn behind the house, was one of the most incredible sights Richard had ever seen. His eyes feasted on the sight of a gorgeous, immaculate 1959 Triumph Bonneville in white and silver, complete with a vintage sidecar that matched the bike perfectly.

"My word..." Richard whispered, in awe of the sight.

"Yeah, she's Sirius's pride and joy," Harry explained, running his fingers along the trim as he circled the bike. "But right now she's ours to do with as we please. I think Sirius'd understand." Harry threw one leg over the bike and tapped the sidecar. "Hop in."

"Are you sure? I mean, have you ever driven one of these things before? I'll admit to having a bike myself... that is until Ellen made me get rid of it. So I could drive... if you don't mind."

"Who said anything about driving? Sure you could drive this baby, but it'd take us forever to get downtown. I'm planning on flying her."

"Flying?" Richard gulped.

"Yeah, what else did you expect from a magical bike. Now are you gonna get in, or do I have to go after Hermione on my own?"

His resolve renewed, Richard hopped into the sidecar and fastened the safety belt. "Have you ever done this before?" he asked tentatively.

"I've flown brooms for years. I've flown a hippogriff. I can't imagine this would be any worse. How hard could it be?"

Richard gulped in fear as Harry kicked the starter and the engine roared to life. Closing his eyes, he prayed silently that they would make it to their destination in one piece.

* * *

><p><em>11:40 AM<em>

_Cringle Road, London_

Police Constable Desmond Cordell of the Metropolitan Police Service parked his Vauxhall Astra on the side of the street before reaching over and grabbing the microphone for his in-car radio. The thirty-six year old veteran of the force had been on the job for more than seven hours that day and was looking forward to finally being off shift for the day and going home to enjoy the company of his wife and eight year old daughter.

"Constable Cordell, unit six-one-nine reporting the sighting of suspicious vehicle off the corner of Cringle and Kurtling Streets. Number plate Yankee-Two-Two-Eight-Golf-Tango-Tango. Vehicle reported stolen two days ago. Request permission to investigate, over."

Desmond sighed and rested the microphone on his upper leg as he waited for a response.

"Copy that unit six-one-nine. Proceed with caution. Subject unknown, possibly armed and dangerous, over," came the reply, crackling over the intercom.

Hoping that this would be the last stop he would have to make that day, Constable Cordell turned off the engine of his car and opened the door, grabbing his stick as he did so. Locking the car behind himself, he approached the suspicious car, parked some thirty meters directly in front of him.

The officer glanced around himself, taking in his surroundings as he walked. He was in what appeared to be an old industrial area, as he could see a power plant to one side, and a smattering of various storage facilities and warehouses on the other. The building in front of him, however, looked like neither, and appeared to be a sort of fishery, as it rested directly against the Thames River.

The snow and sand covering the tarmac crunched underneath his feet as Cordell slowly approached the vehicle, finally reaching it after a few moments. He found that the plates, which he had only observed from a good distance away, did match those of a stolen Ford Focus hatchback reported two days prior. However, he could also see that the vehicle was empty. Retrieving a stolen vehicle was only so effective if the thief could be apprehended at the same time, otherwise the potential remained for them to repeat their crime.

Taking a deep breath and tightening his grip on his stick, Cordell approached the building, assuming that the potential thief was inside. He knew, however, that he was in no position to make an arrest, especially considering the possibility that there were numerous other individuals in the building. All he wanted to do was scout out the location in advance of calling for backup.

The standard metal door opened without resistance, granting the Constable access to the inside of the large structure. Inside he found a massive single room lined on three sides by countless cargo shipping containers. The fourth wall, immediately to his right, was taken up by a bank of windows through which he was able to see various offices. At the far end of the space was a staircase that led to the top of the offices and onto a second story that overlooked the main floor. A pair of long conveyor belts ran parallel to each other, originating on the far wall opposite the door that the Constable had entered through. He could not, however, see any occupants of the building.

Cordell took a few brave steps into the heart of the building, approaching the nearest of the stacks of cargo containers. These containers were almost completely unmarked, bearing only the insignia of the shipping company and little other identifying marks. As he examined the container however, his thought process was interrupted.

"'ey! Who's down dere?" A voice bellowed from the second story area.

Constable Cordell spun around to face the newcomer. "Police!" he shouted. "I'm looking for-"

"Jezza!" the man shouted over his shoulder. "The rozzers ah here!"

Instantly a shot rang out, slamming into the container behind Cordell with a clang. The Constable ducked around the corner of the container for safety as the echo reverberated through the building.

"Ain't no rozzer gonna take me!" another voice barked as a second shot crashed into the container.

Unarmed, Constable Cordell had no other options but to call for backup. "Constable Cordell, on the corner of Cringle and Kurtling under fire. Repeat, Constable under fire. Requesting immediate assistance against unknown number of assailants," he shouted into his radio.

Meanwhile upstairs, Jeremy Rodham fired a third shot in the direction of the Constable, but failing once again to find his target.

"Dammit!" he swore loudly, moving a few steps to his left to find a better vantage point. "I can't get 'em! Barney! Get o'er 'ere!" he called.

One of his four companions on the top floor, Barney Riddick rushed over, ducking behind the railing as Jeremy loosed another shot and missed.

"You got that magic shit? Use it!"

Barney nodded and ran for the stairs at the far end of the balcony as Rodham continued to lay down fire on the beleaguered Constable. Each successive shot continued to force the Constable into hiding, preventing him from getting a fix on the position of his attacker. All he knew was that a single gun continued to fire on his position.

Desmond Cordell peered around the corner of the container once again, taking advantage of a momentary lull in the fire, only to hear another shot slam into the cargo container. "Bloody terrible shots they are," he muttered, ducking back into cover once more.

Despite his quiet criticism, sweat poured down the officer's forehead as he anxiously awaited the arrival of his backup. He knew that, despite the desperation of his call he knew that assistance was at least several minutes out, perhaps more. He was on his own until then, unarmed and outnumbered.

After another shot rang out and missed, Cordell heard a quiet curse emanating from the second floor. He peeked around the corner of the container to see one assailant frantically reloading his weapon. Taking advantage of the brief moment of peace, Cordell glanced over at the door, trying to find a safe route to the exit.

Suddenly his vision flashed green then went black.

Police Constable Desmond Cordell slumped to the ground, dead as Barney Riddick stood over him, wand in hand.

"Got 'im!" he shouted, waving at his companions on the second floor.

"He dead?" came the reply.

"Yeah. Stupid muggle didn't even know 'at hit 'im!" he yelled back as he walked around the corner of the cargo containers and into the open.

"Hey! Watch how you talk about them 'muggles!' You may have that magic stuff, but not all of us are stupid!"

"Didn't say dat! But anyways, he called for backup. I'm sure your muggle Aurors... police'll be here any time!" He climbed the stairs to the top floor where the four others were waiting.

"Shit! And they're gonna be armed too!"

Riddick rushed over to one of the half dozen desks that lined the top floor in a pair of parallel rows before hastily scooping up the paperwork on its top. "Then let's get the hell outta here!"

* * *

><p><em>11:47 AM<em>

The motorbike slammed into the ground heavily, tires screeching against the slippery sand as it do so. Both of its occupants bounced in their seat before crashing back down painfully.

"Gah!" Richard grunted as Harry clumsily slowed the bike to a stop.

"Sorry," Harry muttered, climbing off of the bike. As Richard climbed out of the sidecar, Harry pulled out his wand and pushed it into a small hole on the center console. Instantly, the bike shimmered out of existence.

"Invisible too? You magical lot think of everything!"

"Yeah," Harry began, looking down at the card he had pulled from the wallet earlier, "and right now this wizard think that that building over there is where we're going."

Paying no attention to the Vauxhall Astra parked in front of the building, the pair made their way toward the front door before Richard wrenched it open and led the way inside. Harry fingered his wand in the back pocket of his jeans as he followed Richard through the door, his eyes constantly roving in search of potential threats.

But he found none.

The entire first floor of the building, while full of cargo shipping containers, was devoid of life.

"You'd think there'd be a ton of people in here," Harry whispered. "It's the middle of the day... in the middle of the week."

"You didn't expect us to find a perfectly normal place here did you Harry?" Richard joked darkly. "That card would've been a dead end."

Still seeing no signs of life on the first floor, Harry's eyes shifted to the stairs on the far end of the room. "I'm gonna go check upstairs," he announced. "See if there's anything up there. Wanna keep checking down here?" Richard nodded silently as Harry moved away, making his way toward the staircase.

Creeping up the stairs, wand in hand, Harry glanced over his shoulder to see that Richard was continuing to investigate the downstairs. As he crested the top of the stairs, Harry saw that the second floor mezzanine was also empty, with the exception of several desks.

Pocketing his wand, Harry breathed a sigh of relief and approached the desks. With the exception of that furniture and their accompanying chairs, the area was empty. The only other distinguishing features were the four roof supports rising from the floor.

Groaning in disappointment, Harry turned to return to the stairs. But as he did so, he caught something on the floor out of the corner of his eye.

Intrigued, he walked over to the nearest desk and bent over to pick up the two sheets of paper.

"Hey Harry! Get down here and take a look at this!" Richard shouted as Harry grasped the pages.

Shoving the paper in his pocket, Harry rushed back to the stairs and flew down to the first floor. "What is it?" he asked as he landed on the floor with a thud.

"Look at these!" Richard pointed into a cargo container that Harry assumed he had opened. On his way, he passed several other open containers, all of which he assumed Richard had opened as well. In those, he briefly spotted bricks of what looked to be some sort of white powder, as well as unmarked wooden crates in another.

However, the container Richard was standing in front of was the most intriguing.

The natural light from the large skylights in the ceiling did not provide ample lighting for Harry to see deep into the container. But what he was able to see puzzled him.

Inside he saw what appeared to be no fewer than a dozen very large black and green speckled eggs, each nearly a meter in height.

"What the hell?" he whispered, inching into the container for a closer look. Every egg appeared to have been hatched, as shells littered the bottom of the container and segments of each egg were missing. But despite this, the contents of the egg were missing. "What kind of eggs are these?"

However, his question fell on deaf ears as Richard had stepped away to continue his investigation. Receiving no response, Harry pulled out his wand and bent down to pick up a large piece of shell directly in front of him. Shrinking down, he wrapped it in the papers he had found earlier and put it back in his pocket. He would have to ask Hagrid about it later.

"Um... Harry," Richard called tentatively, drawing Harry out from inside the container, "forget the eggs. We've got bigger things to deal with over here."

With a groan and a roll of his eyes, Harry followed Richard's voice to the far corner of the warehouse, along the same wall as the door they had entered through. "What is it now?" he asked. Every little distraction meant he was further from finding Hermione. So far the visit to this warehouse had been a bust.

But as soon as Harry rounded the last pile of cargo containers, he stopped short.

Richard stood, trembling, over a body. But not just any body, as Harry was able to identify the body as a police officer.

"There's something seriously wrong with this place," Richard whispered fearfully, kneeling down to check the man's pulse. "He's dead," he added after a moment. He stood back up and brushed off his pants. "I almost think that Dumbledore fellow was right; there is something big going on... and Hermione's disappearance is only part of it."

However, Harry did not hear him, as his mind was on other matters as he tried to put together the pieces of the puzzle. Hermione missing. The invaders at the Granger's house. The eggs. And now a dead Constable. It just did not add up for him.

Suddenly the door burst open, flying off of its hinges. Police flooded through the opening clad in riot gear and armed with automatic weapons.

"Hands in the air!" they bellowed, catching sight of Harry and Richard standing over the body of their slain comrade.

"Oh bugger," Harry muttered. "This is where we run!"

He whipped out his wand and fired a stunner at the lead officer before leaping around to the back side of the container. He was followed closely by Richard as a hail of gunfire slammed into the container where they had just stood.

"Toss out your weapons and come out with your hands in the air!" came the command, echoing through the cavernous building.

Pressed up against the narrow back of the containers, Harry and Richard panted nervously.

"Way to make things worse!" Richard snapped. "Now they think we killed the bloke!"

"And you think they didn't when they caught us standing over his body? All I was trying to do was get us out of here! But fat lot of good that did!"

"Can't you do that teleportation thing that Dumbledore fellow did?" Richard asked frantically.

"I've only read about apparition! And I've certainly never practiced apparating two people!"

Richard glanced around the corner of the container, only to feel a bullet whiz past his hair. "Well, now seems like a perfect opportunity to practice, wouldn't you say?"

Harry grabbed Richard's upper arm. "Don't say I didn't warn you," he said. he closed his eyes and pictured the safety of the street in front of Grimmauld Place. Focusing all the magic he could muster, Harry imagined himself and Richard standing in front of the Black ancestral home; he willed them to be there.

However, at just that instant, the horde of police rounded the cargo container from both sides and swarmed the back. But they found nothing.

Harry and Richard were gone.

* * *

><p><em>11:55 AM<em>

_Number 12, Grimmauld Place_

Harry Potter and Richard Granger appeared with a loud pop in front of Number 12, Grimmauld Place, both collapsing to the ground in a heap.

"Well," Richard began, "that was unpleasant... and I'm missing my jacket."

Harry looked over at his companion to see that, sure enough, he was clad only in his blue button-down dress shirt. His black zippered jacket was missing. But Harry also noticed something peculiar about Richard's face. Then it dawned on him: his eyebrows were missing. Averting his gaze, Harry tried to keep from staring as he resolved to not mention it to Richard.

"I told you I didn't have much practice," Harry reminded him. "I've only just started taking lessons earlier in the term."

"Well at least we're here in one piece. But we left the bike back there... and the police know we were there too. They saw you use magic."

"Bloody hell, you're right!" Harry groaned. "As if things couldn't get any worse..."

"The bike is invisible, right?" Harry nodded. "Then we can get it later. What we have to worry about is the police seeing you use magic and thinking that we killed that Constable."

"So all kinds of wonderful things came out of that visit." Harry opened the door to the house and stepped inside, followed by Richard. "So I guess we're back to square one."

"So you didn't find anything upstairs?"

"Just some paperwork. I didn't look at it, but I can't imagine it being anything important."

"Don't assume Harry, especially today. Did you grab the papers?" Harry nodded again as the pair walked into the dining room just off of the kitchen. "Then let's take a look. If we are truly back to 'square one' then it couldn't hurt, right?"

Harry sighed as he pulled out the wad of papers and placed them on the table in the dining room. He carefully unwrapped the egg shell and set it to the side before smoothing out the pages and handing them to Richard.

The older man took the papers and examined them closely as the pair sat on opposite sides of the table.

"Hm-mm," Richard grunted quietly as he read, his brow furrowed in concentration.

Suddenly his eyes shot up to Harry as he put down the pages. "Wonderful..." he groaned. "But it makes sense."

"What? What is it?" Harry asked.

Richard pushed the pages across the table to Harry. The latter picked them up and began to read.

"What's this C&G Group?" he asked, scanning the top page. "Looks like they're mentioned a lot on here."

"No clue. But that's not the most important bit. Look at the header of the first page."

Harry's eyes panned up and stopped at the top of the page. There, just above the words _International Business and Trade Division_ was a simple title.

"You've gotta be kidding me..." Harry put the pages down on the table and made eye contact with Richard who was nodding in confirmation.

There, emblazoned atop the page was a simple moniker: Malfoy Holdings.

End of Chapter 4

A/N: Thank you to the handful of you who read and reviewed the last chapter. Admittedly, this chapter was posted only three days after the last, despite my indication that updates to this story would come on Fridays. I wanted to address the concerns of a few reviewers and, I'm sure, a number of readers. So let's get right to it with some spoilers. The spoilers that are about to be discussed only pertain to the next few chapters and do not deal with the bulk of this story.

**SPOILER ALERT**

Several reviewers have expressed concern that I am leading up to the rape of Hermione with the events of the story thus far. Well, let me address that right away. Hermione will NOT be raped in this story, or in any of my stories. Nor will she be tortured. So MariusDarkwolf, vampyre . vampyre, and FULLMETAL can breathe a sigh of relief. I could not bring myself to let any harm come to Hermione, so you can rest assured that that will not happen. That said, I am leading up to it happening. One of the earliest set-piece moments I conceived of with this story was an attempted rape, in a sense.

Let me clarify by discussing the next few chapters. For those of you who do not want that spoiled, you can skip to the next bolded "Spoiler Alert."

Hermione is being held by some unwitting muggle associates of Lucius Malfoy, in a gentleman's club cum brothel. In much the same way as The Merlin was a joint magical/muggle venture used by Malfoy to corrupt the muggle world while making a profit, the same principle applies here. Being held hostage, Hermione is not being very cooperative. So to silence her, the fat man that has appeared to her a couple times visits her and closes the door behind himself. As he tells her he is going to teach her a lesson, he begins to undo his belt. At this point, the door bursts open and Harry stuns the man before rescuing Hermione. I will not go into the background of how Harry ends up there (not that it's very complicated, but some things must remain a mystery).

This scene is actually the scene I am currently writing, so if it turns out _slightly_ differently than what I have described above, that is because not everything pans out exactly as planned.

That said, we now know that Hermione will be rescued in chapter 6. So what then, is there to do for the rest of the 25 (planned) chapters? That will remain a mystery for the time being. The spoilers I have included here are only to serve as a comfort to those readers who were afraid that the story would take a turn for the worse with the rape of Hermione. Admittedly, I was going to come close to tug on the heartstrings of you my readers. I wanted to give the suspense of it actually happening without it doing so.

Now that I have thought about it more, I think I will begin to tone down some of the... darker elements of this story. While it still may or may not make its way into the final version of chapter 6, the brothel run by Malfoy and his associates is the absolute worst kind imaginable by man. I will leave that up to your imagination, but that entire concept is the part that I found extremely difficult to write, as mentioned at the end of chapter 3. At the same time, I may revisit some of the future elements of the story, included a planned "senseless death." I will not discuss who it was or what the situation was, in case it stays in the story. I will have to discuss that with my cohort inVale.

**SPOILER ALERT**

Now that we have that out of the way, we can get on to our normal business. Like I said before, this chapter was posted several days in advance of its normally scheduled time. As a result, there may or may not be another update this week. That all depends on our productivity over the rest of the week. As it stands now, chapters 5 and 6 are very nearly complete, but with a handful of scenes each that need some work. And I do need to re-write some portions of chapter 6. If we are very productive, you might get another update this week. Otherwise, it may come next week. With the recent influx of big video games, productivity is a little... slow for the time being.

I want to congratulate the following reviewers who were quick on the draw and managed to guess the title of this chapter:

PR2

luvsanime02

osc630

Great job all of you! As a side note, bonus points will go out to any and all readers who are able to find the Queen song reference hidden in this chapter. It is somewhat easy to find, but it gives a nice chance for others to catch up to our usual players. Again, I encourage all of you who are reading this to play. All you have to do is guess what you think will be the title of the next chapter by posting a review. For some reason this story is not being as widely reviewed as my others (or as widely read for that matter), so every review is a great help!

**Chapter Title Hint:** I mentioned in my final note at the end of Stealing Time that we would see a number of "Queens" during the course of Killing Time. Chapter 5 marks the first of these. While I may not be writing it as such, I have viewed the Hogwarts plot as a sort of chess match (even in canon), with one side led by Minerva McGonagall, and another led by Delores Umbridge. However, we will see the march of Umbridge later in the story. For now, we will deal with Minerva, and her partner in all things good, Amelia Bones.

Thank you all again for reading and reviewing. I hope all of you are enjoying the story so far. While I know there are not many of you who are actually reading (as of yet), I hope that each and every one of you will leave a review and let me know what you think of the story. Even if you are not a member of this site, there is still an option to leave an anonymous review. While this chapter has been sitting "complete" for several weeks, it did not go through the same editing process as the others. So if you notice any glaring errors or have questions or concerns, please feel free to PM me if you are a member of the site. If not, you can email me at corruo89 (at) gmail (dot) com. If I recall, this site filters out email addresses, so you should be able to figure that one out.

Once again I thank you for reading. Without you, there would be no reason for me to write. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I will see you again soon with chapter 5.


	6. White Queen

Chapter 5

**White Queen**

_12 PM_

_Number 12, Grimmauld Place_

Harry supposed that he should be surprised by the revelation that the Malfoy name was in some way connected to the warehouse on the river, but he was not. Given his entanglements in the muggle world, such as in Las Vegas, it came as little surprise that his influence would be felt much closer to home. However, the question of how involved Lucius Malfoy was in the events of the day remained.

"So Malfoy again, eh?" Richard asked from across the table.

"I'm not surprised," Harry replied. "But it doesn't really mean anything. He just owns the place-"

"What do you mean it doesn't 'really mean anything'? It means everything! We stole that Hocross thing from him, you said it was really important! He's trying to get it back! He's probably even the one who took Hermione!"

"To get to me?"

"Probably because he assumed that you were the one who had access to it. He's probably planning on sending you a note or something offering Hermione for ransom."

"Then why hasn't he yet? Hermione's been missing since before I woke up, which was about four hours ago!"

"You're asking me? How am I supposed to know what's going on in his mind? Hell, he might have even taken her to pick her brain for it's location! All I'm saying is that it makes sense if you think about it! But now that we know that we have to do something about it!"

Harry glanced back at the crinkled pages resting on the table before him. "So what do we do now? Dark magic? That, I can deal with. But this is something completely new... I've fought Voldemort before, and I can tell you that this whole thing isn't his style. He has a taste for theatrics, so a simple kidnapping isn't something I could see him doing. This reeks of Malfoy striking off on his own, and I don't know what to do about it!"

"And you think it's not new to me? We know Malfoy's involved somehow, but I don't have a bloody clue what we do with that. In fact, for all we know Malfoy just owns the building on the river!"

"So we could see what other properties he owns," Harry suggested. "Or we could see what this C&G Group is. Sirius is as the Ministry; I'm sure he'd be able to look into it for us."

"And what do we do in the meantime? Forgive me for asking but I'm not too keen on just sitting around here twiddling my thumbs."

Harry thought for a moment. "We could talk to Hagrid?"

"About?"

"Those eggs. If anyone knows what they're from he would. They're just too weird to be completely unrelated to everything. Malfoy owns the facility that employs the bloke who broke into your house; the same place that just happens to be housing a bunch of weird eggs. Sounds like more than a coincidence to me?"

"What, and forget about Hermione?" Richard snarled. "This is a rescue mission, not a field trip to the zoo! If I wanted that, I'd visit that HippoGiraffe, or whatever, at Sirius's house!"

"No way!" Harry replied vehemently. "She's still my top priority. But there has to be a connection somewhere! I

mean, what muggle warehouse would have giant eggs stored inside? Not many, I can tell you that! And Malfoy just happens to be connected? It was his men who attacked your house, and they were doing something with those eggs! It's got to be connected to Hermione!"

"It works. But I don't want to waste any time. Call Sirius and let's get started, alright?"

Harry nodded and pulled out his mirror. Tapping the corner, he called for his godfather, tapping his foot under the dining room table while he waited for a response. "Come on Sirius... don't keep me waiting now," he muttered.

But he did not have to wait long, as a few seconds later the face of Sirius Black appeared on the mirror.

"Sorry cub, I don't have anything for you yet," he said, not waiting for Harry to speak.

"I wasn't calling about that," Harry replied. "We actually ran across some paperwork that we wanted you to look into. We found out that the blokes who attacked the Grangers work for Malfoy and that he's been doing business with some company called the C&G Group. Since you're at the Ministry..."

"You want me to take a look and see what I can find on that company?"

"And Malfoy Holdings actually. I have a hunch that he might be involved with Hermione's disappearance. It only makes sense really, since his people were the ones who attacked the Grangers."

"But the people who took Hermione were Aurors."

"About that... how's it coming with finding out anything on that front?" Richard interrupted.

"We're still here at the Ministry," Sirius responded. "We managed to get Madam Bones to grant us access to the Ministry archives, so we're gonna take a look at Auror personnel files to see where this Auror Moore lives. But I'll see if I can find anything on those two companies for you two just in case."

"'We'," Richard added, "who's 'we?'"

"Christine and I. She insisted that she come with me after she found out about the magical world earlier today."

"She only just found out today? How's she taking it?"

"Surprisingly well actually. It was a bit difficult to convince her at first, but now she's taking it in stride for the most part. I always knew she had a thing for my magic wand...then I showed her the one I got from Ollivander." Harry and Richard groaned audibly at this. "Oh, here we are. We're just about to the archives room, so I'm gonna have to let you go. No need to subject you to more of my amazing love life!"

With that, Sirius's grinning image vanished from the mirror. Harry shoved it back into his pocket before looking up at Richard who was staring at him expectantly.

"So now what?" he asked.

"We get in touch with Hagrid."

"Alright," he said, remembering Harry's earlier insistence. "Then we'll get in contact with Hagrid. How should we do that?"

"Why don't we just visit him?"

"Visit him? Isn't he at Hogwarts?"

"Yeah," Harry answered with a shrug. "Shouldn't be too hard. All we'd have to do is floo over there. Wait, actually no, he isn't at Hogwarts. He ran off when Umbridge attacked him and McGonagall. But I'm sure she'd know where he's at now. I can't imagine he'd be too far away from Hogwarts."

"But I could've sworn Hermione said that Hogwarts was invisible to muggles. How would we even get there?"

"Nah, just disguised with a charm. And a heavy compulsion charm to make you want to be somewhere else. If we get you in past the charms they shouldn't still apply to you. I think?"

"I dunno, it's supposed to be your job to know that kind of stuff. But if you think it'll work then by all means, let's try it."

Harry nodded, straightening up in his seat before rising to his feet. Richard followed Harry's lead as he watched the younger man regain his confidence and composure.

The pair walked into the sitting room before Harry pulled down a bronze vessel from the mantle, which he held out to Richard. "You're going to Minerva Mcgonagall's office at Hogwarts," he explained.

"Me? What about you?"

"I'll be right behind you," Harry reassured him. "I just want you to go first so I can be there to coach you...or to pick up the pieces if manage to bollocks it up."

"You mean you want me to be the guinea pig?" Richard smirked, earning a rare grin from Harry. "Alright then." He took a handful of the floo powder and ducked into the hearth. "Minerva Mcgonagall's office, Hogwarts!" he declared, throwing down his fistful of powder.

Green flames erupted from the fireplace, enveloping Richard. Harry shielded his eyes briefly from the glare before the flames subsided, leaving an empty hearth. Waiting for the light green smoke to clear, Harry grabbed a handful of powder himself before replacing the canister on the hearth. An instant later he threw the powder and his feet and vanished.

* * *

><p><em>12:04 PM<em>

Ron Weasley and Neville Longbottom paused in front of the door to Minerva Mcgonagall's office, staring at the door with slight trepidation. Or at least that was what Neville was doing, despite Ron's urgings to the contrary.

"Come on," he pressed. "If we can get Mcgonagall on our side... along with Snape, I'm sure the rest of the professors will help us out."

"But..." Neville trailed off uncertainly.

Ron clapped a hand on his back. "C'mon Nev, are you a Gryffindor or not? What's the worst she'd do anyway?"

"She could turn us into newts?"

"And when was the last time you saw her do that to a student?"

Neville shrugged. "Well there's a first time for everything, remember Moody and Draco?"

"That was an escaped death eater, not a professor. Besides, she couldn't turn anyone into a newt first because of the uh... moral turpitude of human transfigurations."

"Did you get that word from Hermione?"

But whatever Ron was going to say was cut off by the wizened countenance of Minerva Mcgonagall appearing through the doorway. "Weasley," she greeted curtly. "And Longbottom. Is there something I can help you with?"

"Can we talk to you?" Ron asked.

"Does this have anything to do with your recent... insurrection against the current administration?"

"Oh Professor, it is true! You truly are as wise as you are beautiful-"

"Mr. Weasley?"

"Yeah?"

"Never say such rot again, it took me seven years to rid Hogwarts of Sirius Black and we are in no need of a replacement."

"Yes Professor," he replied, gulping audibly.

"Now, if there is something you wish to discuss with me, please do so inside my office." She stepped aside to allow Ron and Neville access to the door and her office.

As the Deputy Headmistress, her office appeared to be a smaller version of the Headmaster's office, complete with a series of rounded shelves lining the walls behind her desk, which were filled with numerous books. The desk, which faced the door, sat on a raised dais, and rested in front of a window which granted a view of the Quidditch pitch. Two short steps separated the entry area from the inner office that held her desk. In a small cabinet near the back sat the gleaming Quidditch trophy Gryffindor had won with Harry at the helm.

Climbing the steps, Minerva motioned for Ron and Neville to take seats in front of the desk as she took hers on the other side.

"Now what is it that you two wished to discuss with me?" she asked, steepling her fingers in front of her face. "From what I've been able to ascertain, you seem to have the situation entirely under control."

"Eh... not really," Ron disagreed. "All we've managed to do is break free from the Inquisitorial Squad. But I'm sure Umbridge knows about that since she's got the rest of her slaves running around the castle trying to find us."

"And what does that have to do with me?"

"We need your help," Neville offered.

"I gathered that Mr. Longbottom. However, I fail to understand how you need my help."

"Well we need to drive her out of Hogwarts don't we?"

"And how do you propose we do that Mr. Weasley? Ask her nicely? Or would you have us run an employee of the Ministry of Magic out when she was placed here precisely to discourage us from taking up wands against the Ministry?"

"So you won't do anything then?"

"I fear that there is nothing within our power that we can do."

"Why don't you.. do nothing?" Neville said with a sudden nervous smile.

"Mate, that's kind of what we came here to prevent," Ron said.

"No no, think about it. What if all the teachers just.. ignore what's going on. Umbridge is just one person, we can handle her ourselves."

McGonogal simply blinked as she stared at her student. The boy shifted from foot to foot nervously but did his best to hold her gaze.

"That is an impressively astute observation Mr. Longbottom. It would indeed be within the realm of possibility to hold a staff meeting in the near future to discuss various minor concerns of no importance to the headmistress. It would be truly unfortunate if the staff was unaware of any illicit activities."

"I- really?"

"Really, Mr. Longbottom. I'll inform the other teachers that we should hold a staff meeting in an hour or two without inviting the Headmistress to the staff room. Now, I believe you've other concerns to consider?"

"We do?" Ron gaped.

"Yes, the Hufflepuffs are still under watch as I recall. You may wish to give them aid if you expect any in return."

"Where are they, then?"

"I do believe you have a particularly insulting piece of parchment in hand, consult with it. Hurry on, there's no time to tarry."

As the boys left her office with thanks, Minerva reached inside her desk for a bottle of Ogden's Finest for her tea before her fireplace roared to life. First one man, then another, stumbled out dizzily and leaning onto the walls and bookshelves for support.

"Mr. Potter, pray tell what possible scenario returns you to my office with Mr. Granger?" Minerva could only stare as one unlikely event after another unfolded in her beloved school.

"Found eggs! Need to talk to Hagrid," Harry stammered in his haste as he helped support Richard to the door.

"What do... eggs, have to do with anything?"

"They're involved with the people who kidnapped Hermione, we're not sure what what they're from. Do you know where Hagrid's at?"

"The last I heard he was staying at The Hogs Head. But I thought Aurors kidnapped Hermione?"

"And gave her to Malfoy's associates. Trying to track them down. I'll explain later Professor!" Harry shouted as he led a dazed looking Richard out of the room, trailing soot on her pristine floor. Minerva removed her glasses and pinched between her eyes.

She began to slowly pour the bottle of stress relief into her tea when a loud bang caused her to jump. A few more loud knocks and pair of blonds burst into the room.

"Professor, where's Ron? He needs help!" Luna asked over her rough breathing.

"He... went to find the Hufflepuffs. Miss Lovegood, what are you doing with Mr. Malfoy?" Minevera attempted to ask as the unlikely pair ran out the door, slamming it behind them. With a long sigh she pushed the teacup away from her and raised the bottle to her lips.

* * *

><p><em>12:07 PM<em>

_Ministry of Magic, London_

Sirius Black opened the door at the end of the long carpeted corridor on level one of the Ministry building. Allowing his girlfriend Christine Nethridge to step through the door, Sirius followed suit, entering a small, barren, four meter square room. The Ministry Archives room was located on level one with the Ministry Administration and staff for operational reasons, just a few corners away from the office of Cornelius Fudge.

The only distinguishing feature in the room was the single plain, wooden desk in its center. Seated behind the desk was an ancient, frail witch whose age Sirius could not begin to estimate, her head hung low. Her short stature, coupled with the deep wrinkles that marked her face belied her age and familiarity with her position.

"Um... hello?" Sirius asked tentatively, unsure if she was sleeping or examining the lone piece of parchment on her desk.

Her head slowly lifted, allowing a pair of tired eyes to bore into Sirius's. "You're not Ministry," she observed in a gravely voice.

Sirius opened his mouth to speak, but was beaten by Christine. "No we're not," she replied for him. "But we might as well be. See we've got this piece of paper here-"

"Parchment," Sirius whispered to her quietly.

"Parchment here," she continued without missing a beat, "from Madam Bones, saying that we could come take a look at some records down here. This is the records room, right?"

"These are the Ministry Archives," the old woman answered curtly.

"I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name," Sirius said with a broad smile as he offered her his hand.

She ignored it. "Nameplate's right there." She nodded down at the small bronze nameplate on the front edge of her desk.

Sirius glanced down and snorted when he read her name, Tatum Doherty. "Tatum," he muttered, "how appropriate." Out of the corner of his eye he saw Christine looking at him curiously. "I'll explain later," he told her before turning his attention back to the unpleasant woman behind the desk. "But for right now we need into the archives."

Tatum slid the piece of parchment across the desk to Sirius. "Name and information you are seeking," she barked. "The parchment's already been charmed, so if you have authorization, it'll know."

"Well so much for Amelia's note," Sirius murmured as he turned his attention to the parchment. Looking down on it, he saw the date scrawled across the top, along with a handful of names listed below, likely those who had visited the archives that day.

Scanning to the bottom of the list, Sirius stopped at the last name, which he actually recognized: Walden Macnair. Raising an eyebrow at this, Sirius turned his attention to the column immediately to the right, where the requested records were listed.

"Macnair, you filthy wanker," he said under his breath, "what were you doing looking at Wizengamot records?"

The name Walden Mcnair was all to familiar to Sirius from his days in the Order of the Phoenix. His near-execution of Buckbeak was merely icing in the cake of Sirius's loathing. The man had managed to get off without a trial following the first fall of Voldemort, and now held a position within the Ministry as an executioner. Why he needed access to Wizengamot records made little sense to Sirius.

Picking up the quill on the desk next to the parchment, Sirius wrote down his and Christine's names, along with the information they were requesting. After writing 'Personnel Files' and 'Business Records,' Sirius paused. With the quill still hovering over the page, he glanced up at Macnair's name briefly. Smirking, he began to write again, adding 'Wizengamot Records, Passed Legislation' to his list of requested information, copying the entry next to Macnair's name.

As he pushed the parchment back to Tatum, Sirius saw her pull out a long, antique wand whose finish had rubbed off and which had hairline cracks extending from the end. She read the parchment briefly before quickly flicking her wand at the wall to her right.

Where there had once been nothing but a solid wall, a simple wooden door suddenly materialized, shimmering into existence.

"Through the door please," Tatum instructed, flicking her wand once again to open the door.

Sirius rolled his eyes at her unpleasantness before wrapping his arm around Christine's waist gaily. "Thanks for being so helpful!" he chirped sarcastically as the two strode through the door. As the door closed behind them he released his grip on Christine.

"Well she was a nasty witch," Christine observed.

"Quite literally," Sirius agreed as he looked around the new room. This room was about twice as large as the outer office, but was still perfectly square. However, despite the larger size, it was lit by just one dangling overhead light, which bathed the extremities of the room in shadow.

Arranged in the exact center of the room were three black wood file cabinets, each just over a meter in height, and each with only one drawer in their center.

"That's it?" Christine asked. "Those are the archives for the entire Ministry?"

Sirius let out a low chuckle at her question. "Not quite," he replied. "I just asked for three sets of records. Therefore we get three sets of files."

"But where are the rest of the records kept then if they're not in here?"

He shrugged. "Who knows? And who cares? It's magic, so most of us don't ask questions so long as it works."

"Then what did you ask for? I thought we were just here to look for information on that Auror and whatever Harry called about."

"Yeah, well, I saw that a dirty bastard was just in here before us looking at something..."

"And you wanted to see what he was looking at? Why? Was he one of your past lovers or something?" she asked with a grin.

"Har har. Very funny," he replied with a roll of his eyes. "Now can you look for Auror Moore's information? I'm gonna take a look and see what Macnair was after."

"Is that really important? Harry asked you to look for information on a certain company. Can't you do that first? Sirius, we can't forget what we're actually doing here!"

"I know, I know. I was just curious... for reasons I'll explain another time. But you're right, of course. Just look for Auror Moore, and I'll find stuff on the C&G Group."

Christine nodded as she leaned to inspect the cabinets closely. The first two, being those in the middle and on the right, were labeled as 'Business Records' and 'Wizengamot Records,' respectively. Seeing that this was the case, Christine turned her attention to the cabinet on the far left.

Pulling out the drawer, Christine found that the records were organized alphabetically, and that the records for the letter 'A' extended for nearly a half meter. "This can't be everything!" she declared. "The cabinet's not big enough for it all!"

"Pull out the drawer all the way," Sirius replied absently, searching through the business records.

"Like that'll do any good. The entire cabinet's less than a meter deep," she muttered, complying with his instructions.

However, as she pulled, she found that not all was as it appeared as soon the drawer she had pulled out was nearly three meters long.

"Welcome to the magical world," Sirius said with a chuckle. "You need to throw out all of your ideas about how things should work and have an open mind. Otherwise you're gonna have a hard time getting around."

"Do you have any idea how hard that is?" she asked, thumbing through the 'M' section. "All my life I've learned to live a certain way. My job requires me to think logically; it teaches me that there is a reasonable explanation for everything. But all of a sudden, in one day, it's all been turned upside down."

"Actually, I do know. Ah, got it," he added, pulling out a file folder. "Harry's mum grew up in the muggle world, and after we left Hogwarts she made sure we experienced it. Boy was that a shock for someone like me, who had grown up in the magical world... to purebloods no less! So trust me, I know what it's like."

She didn't reply to his comment as she finally found a thin folder labeled 'Moore, Alexandra.' "Found it," she announced as she tucked it under her arm and pushed the drawer back across the room into the cabinet. The three meters of drawer seemed to magically disappear into the cabinet once more, giving no indication of the true depth of its contents.

After she finished, Christine looked over to Sirius, who was now sifting through the Wizengamot records. As she watched, Sirius pulled a single piece of parchment and began to read.x`

Suddenly, he visibly paled. His eyes went wide and he looked over to Christine in panic.

"What? What is it?" she asked in concern.

"It may be nothing," he replied shakily. "But I want to check with Madame Bones first."

He shoved the drawer back into the cabinet forcefully before spinning on his heel and striding out the door.

"What?" Christine repeated as they left the Archive office. "What did you find in there?"

But Sirius did not answer.

* * *

><p><em>12:12 PM<em>

Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge straightened in his chair as the door to his office opened. He had been expecting a visit from the centaur ambassador to begin negotiations over territorial rights in the Forbidden Forest outside Hogwarts. However, his hopes were dashed when his assistant, Percy Weasley entered instead.

"Minister," he began hurriedly glancing down at the notes he held, "we just received word that a muggle... police constable, was killed in London a short time ago. A Constable... Desmond Cordell."

"And this concerns me how?" Fudge snapped.

"Muggle police reports indicate that the killers were two men who allegedly vanished into thin air when confronted," Percy added. "That would seem to indicate that the men were wizards."

"Perhaps. But I ask again, how does this concern me? I am waiting for the arrival of the centaur ambassador Weatherby, I do not have time for such trivial matters!"

"I... I... I understand that Minister," Percy stammered. "I simply assumed you would want to know, as the crime allegedly took place on property owned by Lucius Malfoy."

Now Percy had the Minister's attention. Lucius Malfoy was the single largest contributor to the Ministry coffers as well as to Fudge himself. Without Malfoy galleons, Fudge would not have been able to survive in his position as long as he had.

"That is... troubling," he mused. He knew it would not bode well for him, with the impending election, if his largest donor was suddenly mired in controversy. "Very well. Instruct the DMLE to investigate the matter," he instructed. "Send in the Obliviators to modify the memories of all involved. Pay special attention to co-workers and relations." Percy nodded before turning to the door. "And have the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad remove all records of the victim from muggle records. As far as the muggle world is concerned, Mr. Cordell never existed." Percy nodded once more, this time more hesitantly. "Now that will be all Wallsley."

* * *

><p><em>12:24 PM<em>

Harry knocked on the door of Hagrid's and stood back, waiting. He and Richard had moved swiftly to Hogsmeade, making the journey in short order. Madam Rosmerta had been all too willing to let them know where Hagrid was staying, quietly muttering something about them not being "Ministry hacks."

The walk from Hogwarts to Hogsmeade seemed a dream to Richard. He had finally seen the massive castle that had served as his daughter's home away from home for so many years and finally understood at least some of her interest in the place. The castle seemed as though it was plucked out of the middle ages, with nary a trace of modern technologies or conveniences that Richard had come to take for granted. Of course, part of him remembered that Hermione had once told him that technology and magic did not get along, but the rest of him wanted to believe that it was all part of the atmosphere.

As Richard pondered these things, the door to the room swung open, and the largest man Richard had ever laid eyes upon stepped into view.

"'arry!" he bellowed, stooping to clear the doorway. He grasped Harry's hand in his oversized one, shaking it vigorously. "I 'eard you tol' Umbridge off sommat fierce"

"Well, she had it coming," Harry replied sheepishly.

"Oh nonsense! You done good 'arry! And who's this?"

"Hagrid, this is Richard Granger... Hermione's dad. Richard, this is Rubeus Hagrid... the first friend I ever made."

"Hermione's dad eh? Ain't you a muggle? And where's Hermione at anyway?"

"Hermione's missing Hagrid," Harry explained. "That's actually kinda why we're here. Can we come in?"

"'ight! 'ight!" Hagrid agreed, nodding vigorously. "Come in, both of you!" He stepped aside to allow Harry and Richard access to his comparably tiny room before following them inside and closing the door. "Now whats all this about Hermione bein' missin?"

"She wasn't there when I woke up this morning and we weren't able to find her anywhere," Harry informed him. "On top of that, I found clues that she was kidnapped overnight. So that's why I had to leave class this morning, and that's what Richard and I have been spending our morning trying to figure out."

Harry and Richard had taken seats in chairs surrounding a small dining table as Hagrid took a seat on the small bed. "She wha'?" he shouted. "Who done it? When I get my 'ands on them... What'd you want me ta do 'arry? Does Professor Dumbledore know? What 'bout Professor McGonagall?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Hagrid. One question at a time. Actually, we have a question for you. We found this while we were trying to track down Hermione," he said as he unwrapped the papers' fragile contents. "It's an egg... or at least part of one. We found about a dozen of them, but we aren't sure what they are." He carefully handed the piece of shell to Hagrid. "All we knew was that they looked odd."

Hagrid spared hardly a glance at the shell, as his concerned gaze was trained on Harry and Richard. "'arry, do you know what this is?"

"That's why we came to you Hagrid. We had no idea."

"I only ever seen one of these in books 'arry," Hagrid began. "Looks to me like a chimera egg."

"Chimera?" Richard asked in alarm. "Didn't you say over the summer that those things couldn't be defeated?"

"Yeah..." Harry replied absently. "Or at least that's what Hermione said. I don't really know much about them myself. She's always the one who knows everything," he added wistfully.

"An' you said there was lots o' these?" Hagrid asked.

"Something like a dozen."

"That's na' good 'arry. Na' good a' all. Chimeras are regulated by the Ministry. Ya can' own one!"

"But Malfoy does!" Harry protested.

"Draco? But 'es just a student!"

"No, Lucius. That's where we found them; in a warehouse owned by Lucius Malfoy. They were in a shipping container all on their own."

"Bu' they're illegal!"

"That's all well and good," Richard interjected, "but that's beside the point now. We're more interested in what it means."

"I think I can figure that part out," Harry said. "It means that whoever hatched those eggs now has an army of chimeras... and I'm willing to be that person is Lucius Malfoy."

"And what would he want with a bunch of unbeatable... and illegal monsters? I mean, I know he's evil and all that. But what could he possibly do with them?"

"I don't really think he wants much to do with them. Remember who he works for. Voldemort has to be involved in this somehow. It just reeks of his handiwork."

"So then what do we do now?" Richard asked.

"Nothing for now. We can't really do anything about the eggs. Actually, I think that's what Professor Dumbledore was doing... or at least that's what I think he said. Right now all we can do is sit and wait for Sirius to call."

"Blimey Harry... Ye can't control a Chimera, you'd be mad to try!"

"Like trying to raise a dragon in a wooden house?"

"Nah, chimeras would make a dragon look right friendly. Got three heads and none of 'em even get along with each other, see? A chimera won't even stay in twos."

"Hagrid," Harry began, "how do you know so much about Chimera anyway? I mean, aside from the whole teaching Care?"

"That's...er... how about some tea, Harry?"

* * *

><p><em>12:30 PM<em>

_Ministry of Magic, London_

The door to Amelia Bones's office at the Ministry of Magic opened with a bang, slamming against the nearby wall as Sirius strode through in a huff.

"We need to talk," he barked as Christine rushed through the closing door behind him.

Madam Bones's head snapped up from the stack of parchment on her desk at his entrance, her brow furrowed. "Excuse me?"

Sirius stepped up to her desk and slammed the parchment onto it. "I found this while going through the Ministry archives," he explained as she picked up the document and began to read, her eye going wide as she did so. "It's a Wizengamot resolution, passed yesterday and signed by all members of the Wizengamot."

"So?" Christine asked, coming up behind him. "Sounds like your version of Parliament. What's so odd about that?"

"It's a declaration of war against the muggle world," Sirius added gravely.

"What? What do you mean? You mean you people-"

"'We the Wizengamot of the British Ministry of Magic, assembled here on the twenty-second day of December, two-thousand and eleven, do hereby decree and establish that a state of war exists between the magical and non-magical societies of Great Britain,'" Bones read, her eyes wide. "'We do witness and attest that: whereas members of the non-magical world, hitherto referred to as 'muggles,' have persecuted members of the magical world for centuries; whereas the muggle world has a history of violence and oppression; whereas the muggle world has continued to encroach onto the territory of the muggle world; and whereas the magical world, by virtue of its unique abilities and powers is markedly superior to the muggle world; we hereby affirm the notion that the muggle world is not entitled to the right to exist as an entity separate to the magical world. In accordance with this resolution, we have authorized a cleansing operation to begin immediately following the receipt of this document. A period of twenty-four hours has been afforded for the muggle government to agree to full and complete capitulation, lest open conflict begin...'"

Madam Bones stopped reading and looked up at her two guests, shaking her head in disbelief. "What a load of tripe!" she exclaimed in a rare outburst. "I happen to know that the Wizengamot has not been in session in over a week due to the Christmas holidays! And even if they were, they wouldn't pass anything like this!"

"Then what in the hell is that?" Sirius asked. "Looks like a Wizengamot declaration to me!"

"As it does to me as well," Bones agreed quietly. "It is even signed by all members of the council as well..." She stood up from her seat in a rush, clutching the parchment in one hand. "I must take this to the Minister."

She passed by Sirius and Christine on her way to the door. However, just as she moved to open it, it opened, apparently of its own volition. Standing in the door was a young, harried woman who glanced at Sirius and Christine briefly before turning her attention to Amelia.

"Oh, Madam Bones!" she said quickly. "I was just looking for you!"

Amelia eyed her carefully, squinting in suspicion behind her monocle. "Auror Moore," she greeted curtly. As she spoke, Sirius reached over to Amelia's desk and made a quick grab.

"I was told I had to come and see you about my badge. I... kinda lost it overnight," Moore explained.

"You mean this one?" Sirius asked, dangling her badge knowingly.

The Auror's eyes widened as she saw her badge in the hands of a stranger. "I... thats... I mean..."

"We found it at Hogwarts," Sirius growled, standing. "Mind telling me what you were doing there last night? In the girls' dormitory no less?"

Moore did not answer, but instead looked to Bones in a panic. "Auror Tonks!" Bones shouted through the open door. An instant later Tonks appeared. "I am going to meet with the Minister. However, I need you to stay in my office and supervise a questioning." She then turned her attention to Moore. "And Auror Moore, you are to stay here as well in my absence. I shant be long. However, these good people have questions for you about your activities last night. And I am ordering you to answer them fully, is that understood?"

Alex took a deep breath before shaking her head. "I'm sorry Madam Bones," she replied, nervousness seeping into her voice. "But I can't do that."

"What do you mean you can't do that? I am giving you a direct order."

"And it's one I can't follow. I'm sorry, but I'm under orders not to discuss the events of last night."

"Under orders..." Amelia repeated quietly. "From whom?"

"I'm sorry, but I'm not at liberty to say."

"Of course not. No matter, I'm sure I can guess. It seems I've more than expected to discuss with the Minister, so I will take my leave of you now." She swept out the door, closing it. A soft click was heard thereafter, signaling that the door was now locked.

Sirius, still standing, maintained his glare at the young Auror as his cousin took a seat behind the desk. "Sit down Auror Moore," he ordered as he moved over to her.

"I'd prefer to stand," she responded brusquely, matching his glare with a steely one of her own.

"I SAID SIT DOWN!" he roared, shoving her into the armchair behind her. "Now, you may be too young to remember the war, but I remember it well enough for the both of us. Witches and wizards vanishing into the night without a trace. Bodies found in shallow graves. Hell, one of your friends could even be a traitor in disguise! Now, this _Minister_," he spat, "seems to think that we are not at war. But I'll have you know that my godson's girlfriend was kidnapped from Hogwarts last night... she also happens to be the niece of my girlfriend here. So you can be damn sure I'm gonna get answers out of you. Because this is the start of another war, whether that prick in the Minister's office wants to admit it or not. And I WILL get answers from you, one way or another! I will not let my friends die again because of some cowardly son of a bitch!"

The fear in Alex's eyes was palpable, yet she remained stubbornly defiant. "You can't make me do anything. I've never seen you around here which means you're a civilian. And last I checked, civilians have no authority over Ministry personnel."

"No but I do," Tonks interrupted, a deadly chill to her voice, as her hair changed to a furious red. "And the last time I checked, I am _your_ superior. So you have to do what I say or I'll show you the door."

"But... I said I can't say anything! I can't even tell Madam Bones!"

"Why?" Sirius asked. "Who's so important that they can override Bones?"

But Moore did not answer. Instead she looked over Sirius's shoulder at her co-Auror whose eyes were wide with realization.

"There's only one person whose orders can override those of Madam Bones," Tonks whispered fearfully.

"Is it the bumbling idiot?" Sirius growled without breaking eye contact with Moore. "Stupid question. Of course it is. So Miss Moore... Fudge sent you out to kidnap Hermione Granger last night, didn't he?"

Yet despite his persistence, the Auror once again refused to answer, looking nervously to Tonks for assistance. She found none.

* * *

><p><em>12:35 PM<em>

"Minister Fudge," Percy Weasley began, opening the door to the Minister's office, "may I present the Centaur Ambassador Braze."

Cornelius Fudge rose from his seat in one of the armchairs in front of his desk, as did his companion, a short balding man by the name of Artemis Hopskim. As one of the most prominent ambassadors under Ministry employ, Ambassador Hopskim was naturally involved in such a high-profile negotiation.

"Thank you Mr. Wellsfley," Fudge said, his voice dripping with faux sincerity. He bowed slightly at the arrival of the newcomer, joined by the Ministry Ambassador. "Ambassador Braze," he greeted, "I am so delighted that you have joined us today. Please," he added, gesturing to the seating area, "join us."

Braze walked over to the seating area and remained standing, his physiology preventing him from taking a seat like the others. "Minister Fudge," he began in a deep, gravelly voice, "and Ambassador Hopskim, I must thank you for offering to host these negotiations. For too long the centaur people have been persecuted by wizards on different sides of the political spectrum. I am hopeful that today we can begin to put that behind us for the sake of both of our peoples."

Fudge nodded emphatically. "Absolutely. I can't help but be optimistic about these talks. I've always imagined a future where all magical creatures can live in peace and cooperation-"

Suddenly the door to the office swung open and Amelia Bones stormed into the room, followed closely by Percy.

"I'm sorry Minister!" the redhead cried. "I tried to tell her you were in a meeting, but she wouldn't listen!"

"Because I need to have a word with you Cornelius. Now," she snarled, clenching the parchment in her fist.

"Madam Bones, I am in the middle of a very important meeting," Fudge growled in response.

"One that can wait. Cornelius, I demand to speak with you this instant." She crossed her arms in anticipation, tapping her foot against the floor as she waited for his answer.

Ambassador Braze, for his part, glanced back and forth between the two feuding individuals, while the human ambassador's eyes widened in panic.

Never breaking eye contact with the head of the DMLE, Fudge broke the silence. "Would you gentlemen excuse me for a moment?" he asked diplomatically. He did not, however, wait for a reply as he instead rose from his seat and took his leave.

As Amelia left the office on the heels of her boss, the two Ambassadors were left to exchange puzzled looks.

Meanwhile in the outer office, Fudge was fuming.

"Do you have any idea what kind of scene you just caused in there?" he screamed, veins bulging from his temple as his face turned an unhealthy puce. "These negotiations could be the defining moment of my administration, especially after you and your department botched the hunt for Black!"

"Oh sit down and shut up Cornelius!" Bones shouted, getting in his face. "You have no right to lecture me about anything after what I've just found out! I just found out that a Hogwarts student was abducted from school last night...by my Aurors!" Fudge paled visibly at this. "Now normally I would begin an investigation, but there is a problem: for some reason I can't order my own Aurors to divulge the details of the operation. Now you wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"

Fudge backed away from his most senior staff member and fell clumsily into one of the empty chairs that lined the walls of the room.

"Or should I just draw my own conclusions?" Amelia pressed.

"I... I don't know what you're talking about."

"Do you honestly expect me to believe that Cornelius? You are the only person in the entire Ministry who could override my orders. So you can't expect me to believe that you weren't involved in this. I want to know exactly what happened Cornelius. And I want to know now."

"It wasn't my idea!" he cried fearfully. "I wasn't the one who planned it, I just thought it was a good idea!"

"Who was it? Who was the one who conned you into this? Wait... it was Malfoy wasn't it? Was it Lucius Malfoy?" Fudge nodded in fear. "What did he say? What could he have possibly promised you to make you authorize the kidnapping of a student?"

"Nothing! He didn't promise me anything-"

"Bullshit!" Bones shouted. She took a deep, calming breath. " Forgive my language, but the point stands. Malfoy doesn't do anything without paying somebody off. So what did he offer you?"

Fudge did not answer immediately and instead stared at the door to his office longingly, hoping that one of its inhabitants would come to his rescue. Unfortunately for him, that was not to be. And Amelia would not let him off easily, as her gaze continued to bore into his skull, finally cracking the thin layer of resistance that the Minister had maintained. "He... he told me that I would be re-elected," Fudge admitted finally. "But it's not that bad!"

"And how, pray tell, is that not 'that bad'?"

"It wasn't supposed to be a kidnapping! We were just removing Miss Granger for her own safety-"

"Her own safety? What in Merlin's name would possess you to believe that abducting a student from Hogwarts would be beneficial to their safety?"

"She spends far too much time with Potter! He's proven himself to be unstable, and that's not the environment we need for our muggle-borns!"

"Do you actually believe that? Do you realize how idiotic that actually sounds? What about all of the other muggle-borns at Hogwarts? Are we suddenly going to 'remove' them as well? Or was Miss Granger a special case?"

"I... I don't know! I was just going off of the suggestions of Lucius! It all made sense when he talked about it. He even offered to take her into protective custody himself! All we had to do is use the Aurors to remove her, and he would take care of the rest!"

"And he bribed you for this? How stupid could you possibly be Cornelius? Do you realize what this does to the office of the Minister? Taking bribes in exchange for using Ministry personnel for a kidnapping... of a student no less? It's unheard of!"

"Well excuse me for trying to make the magical world a better place! Potter's a menace and his influence needs to be limited! I was just doing what I thought was best! All Potter's doing is brainwashing other students to believe that there's a threat out there that really isn't!"

"Threat? You want a threat Cornelius? Take a look at this!" Amelia thrust the parchment she had been carrying into his hands before stepping back and crossing her arms.

The Minister's eyes scanned the page quickly, his eyes slowly growing wider with each passing word.

"Wha... what is this?" he stammered, reading again.

"This was found in the Archives earlier with the rest of the Wizengamot records. Now please tell me you don't know anything about this."

"I don't! I really don't! I don't remember anything like this ever being proposed! Besides," he added sadly. "No bill of mine has ever had unanimous support. Are you sure it isn't fake?"

"I have never known of any forged Wizengamot decrees. And even if it was, I fail to see how that would benefit anyone."

"So then what do we do?"

"That, Cornelius, is not a question I believe you need to be asking. If word were to leak regarding your involvement in the disappearance of Miss Granger then it would cause a firestorm of panic in the public. We cannot afford that, especially in light of the discovery of this document. If there is fallout from this... and for Merlin's sake I hope there is not, then we need a steady hand at the helm."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Resign. You can cite whatever reason you see fit but I am asking you to resign Minister. You are unfit to lead magical Britain in the wake of this current scandal and I think for the sake of the Ministry, you should resign."

Fudge did not respond, but instead considered her words carefully.

"Now if you will excuse me Minister, I have pressing matters to attend to... such as the interrogation of one of my own Aurors. I would suggest a meeting regarding this document however... and your future with the Ministry."

* * *

><p><em>12:40 PM<em>

_Toronto Pearson International Airport, Toronto, Canada_

Remus leaned as casually as he could against the wall as he flipped through a paperback novel from the airport's book store. In his years with the Order he had found that the easiest way to avoid attention in public was to read a book; everyone leaves you alone.

Ever since the return of Voldemort nearly two years before, the resources of the Order of the Phoenix had been stretched thin. Remus thought it a shame, on principle at least, to have to use them to tail the mother of the best friend of Harry Potter. However on a personal note, Remus could not argue with it as he had grown to know Ellen over the summer during their holiday to Las Vegas.

At 12:42 exactly he went into the bathroom for the usual communique, but before he could even send his patronus a silvery dog padded in and sat down before speaking in Sirius's voice.

"Otter kidnapped. Her house attacked. Searching for her with Stag. Up security on your lead. Kneazle's out of the bag with Christine, send messages as needed."

Remus rolled his eyes at Sirius's pathetic attempt at code. But he got the message nonetheless. He had to get Ellen out of Toronto and back to Britain where it was safe. If her daughter had been kidnapped and her house attacked, it was very possible that the perpetrators knew where Ellen was.

The only problem was that Ellen did not know Remus was following her. He just hoped she would not be too upset with him...

The adjoining hotel was just a few short minutes away and Remus made the journey in record time. After an elevator ride that seemed to last an eternity he found himself banging on her hotel door. The door opened slowly before Ellen cautiously poked her head out, surprise etched on her face.

"Remus? What are you doing in Toronto?"

"Time to go," he barked, pushing past her and into the room. "Hermione's been kidnapped. We think they're after your whole family."

"Kidnapped? By who?" she demanded as she slammed the door closed.

"Don't know, Harry and Sirius are looking for her with Christine."

"And Richard?"

"Sirius says he's with Harry. But I'm supposed to get you back to Britain."

"How did you get all the way over here so quickly anyway?" Ellen asked as her eyes narrowed.

"Magic, of course. But that's not important. We've got to get out of here. Where're your things?"

"In the drawer. How're we getting back?"

Remus whipped out his wand, and an instant later, Ellen's suitcase was on the bed slowly being filled as clothes floated through the air. "Apparition. At least back to the Airport. I can't apparate internationally, takes too much power and practice. But we can use the floo terminal in the airport to get back to Britain. From there, we're going to Grimmauld Place. It's the only place that's safe right now."

"The only place that's safe? Do you really think it's that bad?"

Remus shrugged. "I don't know. Sirius was at the Ministry when he sent me his message. I don't know what he's doing there, but I can't imagine it's anything good. But then again it's better safe than sorry. Do you need to let anyone know you're leaving the conference?"

She shook her head. "They're a bunch of stiff-collared pricks over there. They won't even know I'm gone. Besides, this is more important than trading dentistry anecdotes and forcing polite laughter."

As she finished speaking, her suitcase slammed shut and flew into Remus's hand as he pocketed his wand. "Come on," he called, gesturing to Ellen. "Take my hand."

Suddenly there was a loud bang at the door. Remus and Ellen's heads snapped to the door as it buckled under another bang.

"Take my hand now!" Remus shouted as he leapt over to Ellen.

Just as she grasped his hand, the door gave way, falling to the floor with a thud. Three men clad in full suits burst into the room, wands at the ready. But as soon as the dust cleared, they found that Remus and Ellen had vanished.

"Dammit!" one of the men shouted.

"They're at the airport! That's the only place they could go!" another replied. "Gotta catch 'em before they get to the floo terminal!"

With that, the trio vanished with a single, combined crack.

* * *

><p><em>12:47 PM<em>

Remus and Ellen appeared just outside the main terminal at Toronto Pearson International Airport. Countless cars passed by on the nearby drop-off road while the many travelers passing by seemed to not have noticed the sudden appearance of the two newcomers.

"Gotta get through security," Remus barked, grabbing Ellen's hand and dragging her through the crowd and into Terminal 1.

As a major international airport, Toronto Pearson was normally very busy. However, as it was nearly Christmas, the departure area of the terminal was packed with travelers. The screams of crying children pierced the air as parents attempted to calm them while they waited in the long ticket lines.

Remus and Ellen weaved their way through the disorganized throng and past the many check-in desks. High glass ceilings sloped upward from the door before turning solid as they curved back down to the desks. Despite the frost and light dusting of snow on the roof, sunlight still managed to stream through the glass, adding a wintry atmosphere to the terminal.

But Remus and Ellen had no time to appreciate the scene as they pushed their way through the crowd, bypassing travelers who had lined up and patiently waited to pass through security. Without a boarding pass or any form of documentation however, they knew they would have a hard time getting through.

"There they are!" a voice shouted over the din of the crowd.

"Bugger this," Remus muttered as he ripped his wand from his jacket. A blasting hex tore from his wand and flew into the air above his head, exploding just before reaching the ceiling.

The white noise of the crowd was replaced by screams as travelers ran in different directions for fear of an attack.

Remus and Ellen pushed through, reaching the security checkpoint within seconds. With a flick of his wand, the security officers found themselves flung to either side, pinned to the walls as Remus and Ellen rushed past.

"Do you have any idea where we're going?" she shouted as the wall just in front of them exploded in a shower of plaster and metal. She glanced over her shoulder to see that the three men who had broken into her room were only a few dozen meters behind.

"Just before the Lounge up here!" he replied as he ducked another errant red curse. He dodged another pedestrian who leapt out of the way as he charged past. "Get out of the way!"

As curses flew through the air, pedestrians jumped out of the way, screaming as they saw walls and decorations explode and jets of light tear through the air.

Soon however, the travelers gave way to armed security guards. As Remus and Ellen ran down the long departure transfer corridor toward the gates, police and airport security burst through the doors between shops. They lined up, forming a barrier between the magicals and their destination, which lay only a few scant meters away.

"Don't move!" a voice boomed as dozens of clicks were heard, signifying the readying of weapons.

Remus and Ellen skidded to a stop, staring down the barrel of no less than two dozen pistols and a row of uniformed security guards. Frozen in place and unwilling to brave the firing squad, they found themselves pinned between death on either side.

The three unidentified men however, had also stopped in their tracks, Remus noted, though their wands were still drawn and at the ready.

"Lay your weapons on the ground and kick them this way," the voice ordered, apparently coming from the officer holding the megaphone behind the line.

"It'd help if I had a weapon," Ellen grumbled quietly.

Suddenly a flash of green streaked past her ear, whipping her hair. It slammed into one of the guards, causing him to collapse, dead.

"Open fire!" the leader shouted.

But his last word was drowned out by an explosion of gunfire as the entire line of guards opened fired simultaneously.

"Get down!" Remus screamed. He yanked Ellen to the ground as a hail of bullets passed overhead. He dragged her behind one of the many sofas that lined the corridor just as a bullet ripped through the corner of the furniture.

From their vantage point, facing away from the security line, Remus and Ellen could see the trio of Death Eaters taking cover as well.

"Why couldn't they have been shot?" Ellen groaned.

A trio of green jets shot overhead, whizzing over the sofa toward the guards. Neither Remus nor Ellen could see if they hit their targets as they were more concerned with their own safety.

However, as they cowered, one of the Death Eaters vanished from his hiding spot. But he suddenly reappeared several meters away behind a closer sofa.

"Damn," Remus swore. "I don't think they really care about the police. They're gonna apparate over to us and try to take us away without worrying about security."

"Then why don't we just apparate past the guards?" she suggested. Remus just looked at her incredulously. "What?"

Instead of replying, he grabbed her hand and the two vanished with a pop.

Only to reappear a few dozen meters away, just behind the dwindling line of security.

"Come on!" Remus pulled at her arm, dragging her deeper into the terminal and out of the long corridor. He glanced over his shoulder to see that the firing had ceased as the combined security and police force regrouped. From what he could see, there were no fewer than ten bodies lying on the ground, victims of the killing curse.

"Where's the floo?" Ellen asked, averting her eyes from the fallen officers.

"Through that wall over there!" he answered. A sign for the Maple Leaf Lounge hung from the wall directly ahead. But just before that, the corridor narrowed with sections of wall jutting into the walkway. He pulled Ellen toward the wall and paused. Sparing one final glance over his shoulder he saw another green killing curse jet through the air before slamming into another guard.

Shaking his head that the security force had been so ineffective, he pulled Ellen through the wall and out of the battle zone.

What stretched before them was a magical travel center not unlike the one they had found hidden within Heathrow Airport in London. High glass ceilings afforded a view of the winter sky and bathed the expansive room in clean, natural light.

Curving to their right, the room stretched several hundred meters into the distance, with a floo station consisting of nearly a dozen fireplaces resting at the far end. Either wall of the area was covered with shops peddling various magical goods and services, which Remus and Ellen passed in their rush to reach the floo station. They reached the security desk that blocked access to the fireplaces in record time before stopping in front of them.

"Name and destination?" the unidentified security wizard asked them, his eyes scanning them carefully.

"Ellen Granger and Remus-"

"LUPIN!" a voice shouted across the terminal.

Remus and Ellen spun to face the voice only to instantly freeze.

Standing at the entry of the magical terminal were the three Death Eaters. But they were not alone. On their knees on the ground in front of them were a man and woman, and their two girls of no more than eight years old, wands trained at the backs of their heads.

"You leave this airport and these people lose their heads."

* * *

><p><em>12:48 PM<em>

_Ministry of Magic, London_

Amelia Bones swept into her office, startling Sirius Black and causing him to jerk his head back in surprise. His face had been less than an inch from that of Auror Alex Moore as the younger woman cowered in fear.

"That'll be enough Mr. Black," Amelia snapped as she closed the door. Sirius stepped back as Amelia approached, retreating to the arm of the chair in which Christine was still seated. "Auror Moore," Amelia continued, taking the seat behind her desk back from Tonks, "I just had a very informative conversation with Minister Fudge. Would you care to guess what the topic of that meeting was?"

Moore shook her head, the fear on her face still in place.

"Then allow me to enlighten you. We discussed his recent... predilection for nocturnal operations, including the one he authorized. Do you know what he told me? That it was meant for Miss Granger's own good. I for one can scarcely believe that. However, I may be incorrect. Whether she is safe depends on where she is, and right now you are the only person we know who could shed any light on that. Where is Miss Granger?"

Moore shook her head for the second time in as many minutes. "I told you I can't-"

"Auror Moore, I am tired of your stonewalling! Minister Fudge has already told me about the operation, so all you are doing now is obstructing justice! Whether or not you have orders from Minister Fudge is irrelevant because by the end of the day he will no longer be the Minister for Magic! So I will ask you again... where is Miss Granger? Do not make me call in a legilimens."

Alex's eyes shifted between Sirius's scowl and Amelia's glare. If she was right, and Cornelius Fudge would no longer be the Minister for Magic by the end of the day, then there were few to no repercussions for her if she were to reveal the details of the night before.

"I... I..." she began nervously, "I don't know where she is now."

"What do you mean?" Sirius demanded.

"I mean that we were just told to drop her off with some men, that's all! Our instructions were to leave her with some men in London and they were to take care of the rest."

"The story Auror Moore," Amelia barked. "I want the full story from the beginning, and I want it now."

Alex took a deep breath. "We went to Hogwarts last night... just after two in the morning," she began. "There were three of us... but I don't know who the other two were. We were masked so that our identities were protected from the others. We were met at the main gates by the Headmistress... Umbridge, and the caretaker... a Mr. Filch. Madam Umbridge allowed us into the castle before Mr. Filch showed us to the Gryffindor dormitories. I don't think he knew what we were doing there, but was told to escort us to the dormitories. Once inside we went up to the sixth year girl's dormitory..."

"Wait," Sirius interrupted, "who gave you the orders in the first place?"

"I don't know," she replied honestly. "Our orders were in writing, signed with the seal of the Minister. Of course I don't think that the Minister would know how to set up an operation like that on his own, but I can't imagine who else might have been involved."

"I'll find out from the Minister eventually," Amelia said. "Now continue with your story."

"We stunned the other students in the dorm," Moore continued, "before we went to Granger's bed. But apparently we were too loud since Granger woke up and put up a fight. We managed to subdue her but not after a few moments of struggling. That's when I think I lost my badge. But again, we were able to subdue her and removed her from the dormitory. I was responsible for casting a notice-me-not charm on the bed and the surrounding area so that the other girls wouldn't notice in the morning. Then we left."

"Then what?" Sirius growled. "Where'd you take her?"

"I don't know exactly-"

"What do you mean you don't know? You were there, weren't you?"

"I said I don't know where we were! We were given a portkey to someplace that I don't know! I mean, I know the streets and all that but I don't know anything else!"

"You just know the streets... do you have any idea how helpful that would be to us? Where was it? Who did you turn her over to?"

"I don't know who they were! They were just... a couple of blokes! One was really fat, and I can't remember the others. But I think we were around Tisbury Court. Or at least that's what I remember the signs saying."

"Tisbury Court? Are you absolutely sure?" Sirius asked, as he fished out the business records from his pocket. He did not wait for a response as he began to peruse the information he had retrieved on the C&G Group. Aside from a few predictable names, nothing jumped out at him. At least until he reached the bottom of the second page. "What did the building look like?" he asked, glancing up at the Auror.

She shrugged. "I don't know. I don't think we really went to a building so much as an area. But the building we were closest to had a lot of lights on it."

"Tisbury Court has all sorts of clubs nearby," Christine interjected. "I'm sure you saw the neon lights that some of them have."

"Well that's a coincidence," Sirius replied with a small grin. "Because it says here that the C&G Group own a gentlemen's club near there. Actually, the address is on Tisbury Court."

"Are you suggesting that Hermione's being held in a strip club?"

"No clue. But there's really only one way to find out, isn't there?" He pulled the mirror out of his pocket. "Harry Potter," he called.

* * *

><p><em>12:52 PM<em>

_Hogs Head Inn_

Harry tapped his mirror and an instant later the face of his godfather appeared.

"Got a lead for you Harry," Sirius spat in a rush.

Harry nodded to Richard, who jumped to his feet followed by Harry. "Sorry Hagrid," Harry apologized, "but we've gotta go." He walked out the door of the room and into the narrow hallway before turning his attention back to the mirror. "What do you have for us?"

"Christine and I talked with the Auror who was part of the team that grabbed Hermione last night. She remembers where they turned her over to Malfoy's men, but doesn't know who they were or where they took her after that."

"Okay..."

"But here's the kicker. I was looking over those business records you asked me to get. By the way, the C&G Group is actually a conglomerate run by... you guessed it, Crabbe and Goyle Sr. Those two always were inseparable when we were at Hogwarts."

"Same for us too," Harry muttered.

"Anyway, their company owns property in the same area as Auror Moore remembers taking Hermione. Might be worth checking out."

"What's it called?" Richard asked, as the pair reached the main floor of the inn.

"It's... it's a gentleman's club... named The Revue at Tisbury."

"Gentleman's club? Stop cocking about Sirius! This is serious!"

"I was being serious! It's the best I can come up with! Crabbe and Goyle own a gentleman's club at Tisbury Court which right around the area where Auror Moore remembers passing off Hermione. So if Crabbe and Goyle are working with Malfoy, it might be worth checking out their club."

Harry watched as Richard visibly paled at the thought. "Bastards..." he whispered. "Right. We'll take care of it."

"And we've got some other things to worry about here," Sirius added. "But don't worry, we'll keep you updated. Harry?"

"Yeah?"

"Be safe, alright?"

"You mean don't be a dunce?" Harry joked absently, his mind elsewhere.

"Your words, not mine," Sirius joked as he signed off.

"Son of a bitch!" Harry screamed as he slammed the mirror back into his pocket, earning stares from every other patron in the establishment. "A gentlemen's club! A bloody strip club! Of all the hellholes they could have hidden her in, they chose a strip club!" His eyes were aflame with vengeance, forcing Richard to back away slightly out of fear. "If they lay a single finger on her... I_ will _kill them," he whispered dangerously.

Without another word, he stormed out of the Hogs Head and into Hogsmeade proper, Richard hot on his heels.

"Harry! Wait!" Richard shouted. The younger man stopped suddenly and turned to his elder. "I hate to break it to you, but you might not get that chance."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, a hint of fear in his voice.

"Because I'll kill them first. And believe me, when I'm through with them, there won't be anything recognizable as human left."

* * *

><p><em>12:52 PM<em>

_Little Hangleton_

A light dusting of snow covered the hard, frozen ground of the outskirts Little Hangleton as the only sound in the area was provided by the faint rustling of the bare trees. That stillness was broken however by the crunching of snow and ice under a pair of shoes as a lone figure approached the large, foreboding house that rested atop the nearby hill.

The only building in sight, the mansion was possessed of an eerie quality that dissuaded the local populace from coming near. Yet despite this, the lone figure pressed on, undeterred by the home's ominous appearance.

Albus Dumbledore pulled out his pocketwatch and glanced at it quickly before replacing it, turning his attention back to the Riddle House in front of him. The ramshackle old house looked as though it had been abandoned for decades, untouched by the hand of a sane person for an eternity. Shutters hung as if by a thread, threatening to fall if kissed by the slightest wind. Countless windows were darkened not by a lack of light emanating from the inside, but from countless years of dust, grime, and cobwebs. The siding, long ago abandoned to the elements, had lost its now-mysterious color and had curled and taken on a putrid green tone as mold and mildew had taken hold.

Albus found it a fitting abode for the greatest Dark Lord of the modern age.

He trekked up the cracked cobblestone path that weaved up the side of the hill, and through the rusty wrought-iron gate that bore the name of the family that had once lived here.

Following the tip from his potions master, Severus Snape, Dumbledore had apparated from London to Little Hangleton under the assumption that whatever Voldemort was planning, his home would hold the answers.

As soon as the wizened Headmaster opened the front door of the house, wand in hand, he was greeted by a rancid odor as it wafted from the open door. The scent of rotting flesh and feces overpowered Albus, who was forced to instantly cast a bubbleheaded charm on himself before entering. The building reeked of death and worse.

As the door closed, the spacious foyer was immediately shrouded in darkness, forcing Dumbledore to light his wand to be able to see even a few meters. Under the pale blue light of his Lumos, everything in sight was painted in an eerie glow, further adding to the creepiness of the building.

A large staircase extended upward directly in front of the door, widening gradually as it reached the floor. Most of the spindles holding the railing were missing as cobwebs replaced them to form a glistening barrier. The floor was warped and decayed, as many of the boards had broken free from the floor, rusty nails protruding dangerously.

Stepping over the threatening protrusions, Albus made his way out of the foyer and into the shabby sunken sitting room to the right. Ancient furniture, replete with exposed springs and rotting wood accents littered the room, each piece coated in a thick layer of dust. But aside from the general disrepair, Dumbledore found nothing out of the ordinary.

Emerging from the sitting room, Dumbledore found a door on the side of the staircase, one that he had missed before due to his perspective. Trying the handle, he found that it was securely locked, something he found intriguing due to the condition of the rest of the house. That a lock would still be holding as if new after all these years was odd indeed.

With a flick of his wand he unlocked the door and pried it open only to find a narrow staircase that descended into the depths of the earth. Curiously however, there were no cobwebs that could be seen. Smirking slightly at the obvious difference with the rest of the house, Albus tightened his grip on the wand in his left hand, favoring his gloved wand hand.

Ducking to avoid a low beam, Albus descended the stairs, taking care to not fall over the unprotected sides. As he looked over the sides, he was unable to see the floor beneath him, which did not bode well for his safety on the creaky stairs.

Two minutes of slow and careful descent later, Albus Dumbledore finally reached the dust-free concrete floor at the base of the stairs. In the light of his illumination charm, the concrete walls and floor of the tiny room seemed to blend together, broken only by the single door on the wall to his left.

This door did not match any of those on the ground floor as it looked to be made of a dull, unfinished metal which barely stood out from the rest of the room's concrete construction.

Tentatively opening the door, Dumbledore was greeted by a cavernous room, the likes of which he rarely saw outside of the Ministry atrium. Much larger than the Great Hall of Hogwarts, the ceiling stretched upward by more than twenty meters, exposed beams lining the uppermost portions. As opposed to the rest of the Riddle House he had seen, this room was very well lit, with torches spaced evenly on both walls running away from the old wizard.

At the far end of the chamber, Dumbledore could see that there was a much larger section awaiting him. In the distance he could see that the room widened and stretched on beyond the scope of his vision. Yet despite this, there was little in the room that caught his attention.

As he walked toward the expanded area some one hundred meters in the distance, Dumbledore paid little mind to the dozens of nondescript barrels that lined the floor on either side of the room. Stacked five or six high in some cases, the barrels added to the atmosphere of a winery.

Reaching the expanded section in the distance, Albus was greeted by a similar environment to the previous area, except for the fact that the barrels were much, much larger. Of the nearly two dozen he could see, each appeared to be roughly a half dozen meters in diameter, and more than ten in length.

Sighing in resignation, he walked up to the nearest barrel and inspected it closely. As opposed to the smaller iterations, this one was missing a cork on its side. Curious, Albus tapped on the side of the barrel to sound its contents.

An enormous roar burst forth from the barrel. Albus was physically flung back several paces by the ferocity of the roar. However, as soon as it had started, the sound ceased.

"Tom... what have you done here?" Dumbledore whispered as stepped toward the barrel once more.

But before he could reach the barrel once more, a low hiss stopped Albus in his tracks. Turning to where he thought he had heard the sound, Dumbledore found nothing but another array of massive barrels. Silence reigned as Albus's aged heart beat against his chest in anticipation.

Suddenly he spun back around. Flicking his wand, he caught the enormous snake in mid-air as it launched itself at him. The snake floated as if frozen, mouth open to strike.

Dumbledore moved to decapitate the snake with a simple severing charm. However his right hand was suddenly wracked by a painful spasm that sent him to his knees. The stasis spell was broken, causing Nagini to crash to the ground.

Albus scrambled to his feet and grabbed his wand from where it had clattered to the floor. He spun to face Nagini as she reared up for a second strike.

His blasting hex connected with the snake's midsection as it launched at him once more. Nagini was split in half as blood and entrails exploded outward.

Yet Albus had only a fraction of a second to avoid the front half of the snake. Still alive, Nagini latched onto Albus's left arm, sinking her fangs deep into his bicep and pumping him full of her venom.

But the strike was not to last, as Nagini released her grip and fell to the ground, dead.

Albus slumped to the ground, dropping his wand as he clutched his left arm with his gloved right.

"Fawkes..." he whispered weakly.

An instant later a burst of flame heralded the arrival of the Headmaster's familiar. The majestic phoenix swooped down and landed on the shoulder of his injured master. A trio of tears dripped slowly from the creature's eyes, falling into the gaping wound on Dumbledore's arm. A painful hiss erupted from the wound as it began to close, healing completely within seconds.

Albus weakly rose to his feet, using his creaking knees for support as he pushed himself into an upright position. Still clutching his injured arm with his gloved hand, he glanced around the room as a low rumble began to sound.

"Severus," he muttered to Fawkes. "I need Severus."

In a flash of orange flame, both phoenix and master vanished from the basement of the Riddle House.

However, if Albus Dumbledore had remained for just a few seconds longer, he would have seen the two dozen largest barrels explode in a shower of wood and metal, as two dozen grown chimeras took to the skies of Britain, heading for London.

End of Chapter 5

* * *

><p><span>Author's Note:<span> It has been 320 days since I last posted anything on this site, and for that I must offer my sincerest apologies. What started as a brief break from the story due to school and work obligations turned into something much longer due to issues in my personal life and a general lack of motivation to return to this story. But during that entire time, this story was in the back of my mind, and I was constantly reminded to return to writing. I apologize that it took so long, but I thank you all for the dedication that you showed. I received many emails and private messages over the course of the last year, each asking where I was and if I would ever return to this story. It means a lot to me to have such dedicated fans, willing to reach out to me to complete this story. And while I cannot say with any certainty what my update schedule will be like, I will try to update as much as possible for at least the rest of this year, until I start graduate school in the spring. After that, I have no idea how often I will be able to update. But until then, let us savor the moment and return to Killing Time. If you would like to keep up on this story and the update schedule, please subscribe or favorite this story!

The one issue with this chapter, and the few to follow, is that they were all either entirely written, or started nearly a year ago. As such, there was a large break in between their starting and their completion. This is not particularly helpful to the writing process, and to the quality of the chapter, but I have done the best I can to address this issue and to make this chapter the best that I can in light of the situation.

I would like to congratulate the following reviewers for correctly guessing the title of this chapter:

**PR2**

**osc630**

**luvsanime02**

**AnEndHasAStart1992**

Also, the following members earned bonus points for recognizing the hint in the last chapter:

**PR2**

**osc630**

And I would also like to thank my partner in this story, inVale, for following up with me and coaxing me back into writing. He has stuck by me, even when it appeared as though I would not return.

In a true return to form, I would also like to provide you with a hint as to the title of the next chapter. Remember, any reviewer who guesses the title correctly will not only earn a mention at the end of the next chapter, but will also earn a point that will be tallied at the end of the story!

Chapter Title Hint: This slightly robotic Queen song featured a music video that not only parodied a George Lucas movie, but also featured lead singer "break[ing] free." In writing this hint, I realized that this music video foreshadows not only the title, but also the parodying nature of perhaps their most controversial music video, the song for which can be found on the next album.

Once again, I thank each and every one of you for reading this story, and for staying in touch for the last year. I hope that you will continue to give me a bit of your valuable time, and I hope that you will continue to find this story entertaining and enjoyable. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and I will see you again soon with Chapter 6!


	7. Calling All Girls

Chapter 6

**Calling All Girls**

_1 PM_

_Hogwarts_

Ron Weasley folded the Marauder's Map and tucked it back into his pocket before turning to his companion Neville Longbottom. The two had left the office of Deputy Headmistress Minerva McGonagall in search of the missing sixth year Hufflepuffs, whose assistance they required to help retake Hogwarts from Dolores Umbridge. While there were six other years of students available for help, the leadership of the imprisoned sixth year Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors was paramount to making the revolt successful.

"So?" Neville asked as he watched Ron put the map away. "Where are they?"

"Looks like the Astronomy Tower," Ron replied. "From the looks of it there are a bunch of Slytherins up there along with all the Hufflepuffs. Problem is that there's only one way up there... and it's guarded."

"Should we get help then?"

"From who? The Ravenclaws? We don't even know if they're on our side on this one!"

"What about the other years?" Neville suggested feebly.

"Everybody else should be in class right now. And we can't get in contact with Dean, Lavender, Seamus, or Pavarti right now. So the way I see it is that we're on our own right now."

"And we have to get past guards?"

Ron shrugged. "There aren't that many of 'em. But we could find a way to get past them without being seen. Oh what I wouldn't give for Harry's cloak right about now..."

"What about a distraction?"

"Like what?"

"I dunno. It was just an idea. You're the one who's supposed to be the master strategist. Got any ideas?"

"Well, we could dress up as Slytherins and hope nobody notices," Ron suggested sarcastically. "No I don't have any bloody ideas! You think that just because I can play a game of chess I can design some brilliant distraction?"

Neville shied away at Ron's response. "No... I didn't mean..." he stammered.

Ron took a deep breath. "Sorry mate, I didn't mean to make you feel like you'd done anything wrong. But no I don't really have any ideas. Do you?"

"Why do we even need a distraction?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, what good would it do? We'd get the guards to move out of the way, but the Inquisitorial Squad won't leave the Hufflepuffs alone will they? So what's the point?"

"So you're saying we need to find a way to get the Hufflepuffs alone?"

Neville shook his head. "No, they'll never go for that," he replied, gaining confidence. He paused in thought as the two walked past the door to the library on their long trek to the Astronomy Tower.

"I still think a distraction would work," Ron maintained. "Think about it. They're stupid Slytherins. All we have to do is pop our head into the tower and they'll come running after us."

"But how do we get past those guards? How many were there anyway? You didn't say that bit."

"I just saw one of them, that's all. There aren't all that many members of the Inquisitorial Squad remember? So they can't really afford to send many to every corner of the castle, can they?"

"Just one? You made it sound like there were a lot of them!"

"Eh," Ron replied with a shrug. "One guard's better than nothing. If we take out the one guard, then that's one less person we have to deal with later. So that's why I think a distraction would work. All we have to do is lure him around a corner or something, and wham! We got 'em!"

"I don't want to be the bait," Neville said instantly, paling at the thought.

"Fine by me mate. I'm used to all this adventure stuff, what with being around Harry all the time," Ron added boastfully. "So all you have to do is hide around a corner and wait for me to bring them to you. Then you just stun 'em!"

Neville gulped. He had never been the most adept member of the DA, but now he was suddenly called upon to put that practice into action. Swallowing his fears, he nodded. "Right."

"You okay?"

He nodded once again. "Let's just do it," he responded.

"You sure mate? I mean, I'm sure we could find another-"

"No!" Neville cried suddenly. He took a deep breath before continuing. "I mean... I'm fine. It has to be done, so I might as well be the one to do it right? Besides," he added, a grin growing on his face, "it'll give us a chance to show those Slytherins what's what."

Ron clapped him on the back. "That's the spirit mate! Now come on, let's get going!" He led Neville down the corridor toward toward the front of the castle. The castle was beginning to grow busier as classes let out for the day's lunch period, so Ron and Neville had little trouble blending into the crowd.

Climbing a series of staircases, the pair soon found themselves near the top of the astronomy tower, just below the exposed top floor used for Astronomy classes. This floor was made up of a single hallway with a corner on either end, leading to a staircase that led either to the floor above, or the floor below Several storage rooms and broom closets lined the hallway, and it was in front of the upward staircase that Ron had seen the guard on the Map.

Reaching the corner of the hall, Ron pushed Neville against the wall. Putting a finger to his lips, Ron withdrew the single wand that they pair shared and disillusioned himself, nearly vanishing from sight. He handed the wand to Neville before taking off around the corner. Neville peered around the corner and watched as Ron, who he could barely make out if he knew where to look, approached the lone Slytherin near the corner at the far end of the hall.

Light refracted off of Ron's disillusioned form as he seemed to glide over the stone floor toward his quarry. The ebony-haired Slytherin at the far end of the hall had his back to the approaching Gryffindor, gazing around the corner toward the other staircase that was out of Neville's view.

As Ron continued to cross the uneven cobblestone floor, the Slytherin remained oblivious. Neville held his breath as Ron approached. However, just as he got within a few meters of his prey, the Slytherin walked around the corner and disappeared. Now only Ron remained in Neville's view.

Just as Ron rounded the corner the Slytherin returned.

The two slammed into each other, both collapsing to the ground.

"What the hell?" the unidentified Slytherin cried. "Who's there?"

Instantly another member of the Inquisitorial Squad rushed around the corner, this time a student Neville recognized as a Ravenclaw but could not remember her name.

"There!" the Slytherin shouted, pointing to where Ron's poorly disguised form lay sprawled on the floor.

The girl whipped out her wand. "Finite Incantatem!" she barked, ending the charm on Ron.

Now visible, Ron scrambled to his feet only to be tackled by the Slytherin boy while the girl kept her wand trained on the redhead.

"Wantin' to join the others are ya now Weasley?" the Slytherin asked menacingly as he pulled Ron to his feet.

Ron swung his fist only to miss as the boy ducked. Backing up a step, Ron charged at the boy in an attempt to tackle him.

But he made it less than a step before he was struck in the chest by a red stunner.

Neville watched in horror as Ron's unconscious body was dragged around the corner and out of sight. He could only assume it was being taken upstairs to the tower proper to be held with the Hufflepuffs.

Neville was now completely and utterly alone.

He pulled back from the corner and stood against the wall, trembling nervously. What could he do? He was now alone, without support. He could either rush to Ron's rescue, one unprepared student against an unknown number of armed opponents, or he could retreat.

Peeking around the corner once more, Neville sighed as he made up his mind. He could do no good here. He was ill prepared to take on the members of the Inquisitorial Squad. He needed help. But from whom, he was unsure. Turning back, he returned to the stairs in the hopes that he could find somebody to help finish his and Ron's mission.

* * *

><p><em>1:04 PM<em>

Pinching the bridge of his nose after another pointless class with those dunderhead fourth year Gryffindors, Severus Snape attempted to stave off the oncoming headache as he opened the door to his office. Despite his best efforts to beat basic potion-making skills through their thick skulls, their typical Gryffindor stupidity kept preventing such knowledge from taking hold. As such, the class period that had just ended had been yet another where common sense seemed, at least to Snape, to have been thrown out the lone window of the potions classroom. At least the presence of his own Slytherins had made the period at least somewhat bearable.

However, as the Hogwarts potions master opened the door to his office, he stopped short.

Sitting in the chair behind his large black oak desk was the sickly form of Albus Dumbledore.

Closing the door behind himself, Severus rushed to the side of the ailing Headmaster. "Headmaster," he began, kneeling at his side, but he was quickly silenced.

"It appears, Severus, that I am not as nimble as I once was," Dumbledore began, smiling weakly. "I have been bitten by Nagini. The wretched snake is dead and the world is rid of another of Tom's horcruxes however."

"You were bitten by the snake? Albus, you should be dead!"

"Ah, my dear Severus, you forget about my familiar. Fawkes was kind enough to spare a few of his tears to help heal the wound. However I fear that his efforts were not entirely successful."

Snape jumped to his feet and rushed to the massive cabinet that took up nearly an entire wall of his office. He searched through the phials and containers for nearly a minute before pulling one off of the shelf and returning to Dumbledore's side.

Pulling the stopper from the flask, he handed the vessel to the aged wizard. "Four drops should do it," he said as Albus dripped the cerulean liquid onto his tongue. Grimacing at the bitter taste, the Headmaster swallowed before offering Snape the vial.

"That should stem the effects of the poison temporarily," Snape informed him. "However, I am unaware of any cure to Nagini's venom. The Dark Lord kept her for that very reason; her venom is more magical than natural by this point. Where were you bitten?"

"Left arm," Dumbledore gasped, feeling the effects of the potion as it burned his veins, rooting out the poison.

Snape set the vial on the desk before inspecting the wound carefully. "It appears to be fully healed," he said after several moments. "I believe that Fawkes was able to heal the wound itself but not remove the poison from your system. Nagini's venom is especially potent due to her corruption by the spirit of the Dark Lord. I daresay that her venom may have been nearly as deadly as that of a basilisk."

"Can you stop it?" Albus asked.

Snape shook his head sadly. "I can slow it," he replied slowly, "but I cannot remove it completely. From my experience, lesser wizards succumb to the poison within moments. The fact that you survived long enough to reach me is a testament to your power as well as a product of your bond with Fawkes. However..."

"Tell me Severus."

"In every case that I have seen, the venom begins by eating away at the muscle tissue of the victim. In a normal case, the victim is reduced to a quivering heap within moments, unable to control their own movements. Shortly thereafter, they are unable to move at all as the poison slowly consumes them from the inside out. Most die within minutes of being bitten."

"I see," Dumbledore replied distantly. "And this potion you have given me?"

"A simple Draught of Strength. As you know, it temporarily increases muscle mass. I believe that it may help to stave off most of the effects of the poison... for a time at least. The potion is known for its diminishing returns. Over time, the effects lessen, and the poison will take its toll. My apologies Headmaster."

Dumbledore shook his head. "No Severus, it is not your fault. I simply should have been faster at avoiding Nagini's strike. Have you any idea of how long..."

Snape shook his head once more. "I do not Headmaster. The combination of this wound and the unique necrosis on your hand makes any prognosis next to impossible. It could be years... or it could be days. I cannot be certain at this point."

The ancient Headmaster shook his head sullenly as he rose unsteadily to his feet. Snape helped him out of the chair as he rose as well. "I must caution you against any exertion for the foreseeable future Headmaster," he warned. "Any unnecessary muscle exertion could increase blood flow to your muscles, speeding the spread of the poison."

"I will take that under consideration Severus. However, the events of today may not allow me such luxuries. Tom is moving... if only I knew to where. His plans elude me, which is troubling."

"To say the least," Snape muttered. He then grabbed the vial of potion once again. "If you insist on venturing out once more, may I suggest you take this with you? Each dose of the potion will only last for a few hours, depending on muscle exertion. I do not recommend taking it more than one dose per hour, as you risk muscle seizure and possible decay."

"Understood," Dumbledore nodded, holding out his hand expectantly.

Snape pressed the glass vessel into his mentor's hand reluctantly before stepping back.

Dumbledore shoved the potion into his pocket before straightening his posture and turning to the door. As his hand reached the handle, he paused.

"Headmaster?" came the expected call from behind.

"Yes Severus?"

"Be careful. The magical world can ill afford for you to fall victim to anything... undesirable."

Dumbledore smiled slightly. "My boy, if something happens to me, the magical world will still have Mr. Potter." He put his hand up to silence Snapes inevitable protest. "However, rest assured that I have not lived as long as I have by being reckless."

As he finished speaking, the ghostly blue image of a tabby cat ran through the door and stopped in front of Snape. Dumbledore paused for a moment and watched the patronus convey its message to the potions master before vanishing an instant later.

"And what, pray tell, did Minerva have to say?" Dumbledore asked.

"She has called a staff meeting for twenty minutes from now... in the North Tower, in the Divination classroom to be specific." The distaste in Snape's voice belied his feelings on the choice of location.

"Do not fret my boy," Dumbledore consoled. "I am certain Minerva has her reasons for choosing that locale. However I shall not keep you from your meeting by tarrying any longer." With that, he opened the door and left the office, leaving Snape alone in his cold and silent office.

* * *

><p><em>1:05 PM<em>

_Toronto Pearson International Airport_

Remus and Ellen stood rooted to their spot, the same location they had been standing for more than fifteen minutes. Neither had dared to make a move, instead focusing on the look of sheer terror plastered on the faces of the hostages. Four members of what looked to be a muggle family were at the mercy of three Death Eaters who had threatened to kill them if Remus and Ellen dared to flee.

However, since then, not a single word had been uttered by either party as bystanders pinned themselves to the walls on either side of the terminal, not daring to intervene. Despite this, a few had drawn their wands, likely in fear for their own safety.

His wand still in his hand, Remus took a single step toward the Death Eaters.

"Don't move Lupin, unless you're gonna give us the muggle!" the apparent leader of the Death Eaters shouted.

They wanted Ellen. Of course, that made sense to Remus considering the fact that the had attempted to take her out of her hotel room. But now he knew that they were desperate.

He turned back to the pair of guards in front of the floo station.

"What plans do you have in place for something like this?" he asked.

"What do you mean, 'plans?' How often do you think something like this happens?" one of the guards snapped, his eyes staring over Remus's shoulder.

"You've gotta have some kind of plan or procedure in place for this! I mean the airport had security out there as soon as spells began to fly! I'm sure they can't get in here, otherwise we wouldn't be having this conversation, so what's your plan?"

The guards did not answer, but instead exchanged fearful glances.

"Then who's in charge here? 'Cause obviously it's not you lot!" He took a deep, calming breath as he looked past the Death Eaters to the faux wall behind. "I'm sure security's still out there. They wouldn't just bugger off as soon as we disappeared so we might be able to take advantage of that."

"How?" Ellen asked.

"We've got to lure them out of here somehow. If we could just do that, then we'd have them surrounded. Death Eaters may follow Voldemort blindly, but they aren't necessarily stupid. They defected in droves following the first war just to save their own hides, so I can't imagine they'd risk their lives just to kill their hostages...especially when they're completely outnumbered."

He paused to think on the situation for a moment, glancing back to the Death Eaters and their hostages every few seconds.

"We're not gonna sit here and wait forever Lupin!" one of them shouted, tightening his grip around the neck of the youngest girl.

"I'll go," Ellen suddenly whispered.

"What? Absolutely not! You have no idea what they're going to do with you!"

"But they want me for some reason! If they wanted to kill me, they would just do it and get it done with. But they haven't, which means they want me for something else."

"And what do you hope to accomplish by turning yourself over to them? They'll just kill those people and be gone! These people are cold-blooded killers. They kill muggles for fun! So why would they let these people go?"

That question gave Ellen pause for a moment as she considered her proposal.

"Unless..." Remus mused softly.

"Unless what?"

"They have to get out of here somehow-"

"The floo?"

"No, they won't use the floo. Too easily traceable. There are only so many places they can go with a floo. And when they use a public floo like this, we instantly know where they went. They would have to keep flooing from location to location to throw us off the scent. The other option is either a portkey or apparition, neither of which they can do within these walls. They'd have to get back outside the building to use either, which means leaving through the same way they entered."

"And there are guards waiting outside that fake wall..."

"Or so there should be. But I still can't let you go, you have no way to deal with them if things go sour. Oi, you lot! Why'd you want a muggle anyway? Riddle trying to meet up with some family, what with being a half blood?"

"You dare speak of the Dark Lord in that tone?"

"Well... yes, honestly," Remus shrugged, earning a chuckle from Ellen. "I mean, it's not like calling him Lord Prissypants is going to change his mind from torture and kill on sight anyway. You know, I always did think him a bit dodgy... has he taken a fancy to Wormtail lately? I know he does have a thing for...long appendages, and a tail is at least a start. And the less said about that snake of his, the better."

The crowd of witches and wizards laughed, quietly at first and then louder as Remus continued his tirade. No longer off guard the crowd turned into a wall of wands as the Death Eaters rapidly lost control of the situation. Remus was a bit taken aback by this development. He had simply been attempting to earn the Death Eaters' ire so that they would take him rather than Ellen. Instead, he had earned the support of most of the crowd.

"You can't win," he said loudly, improvising. "They're not your hostages, they're your shields. Hurt them and we've no reason not to start hexing you. Leave, while we're still giving you the opportunity. You can just back off outside the wards right now and apparate to freedom."

"We're not leaving without what we came for!" the apparent leader snarled.

"And how exactly are you proposing to get it? You know what? I'll even be a good chap and escort you out of here. Just let the muggles go and I'll be your hostage until we get out of this place. You look like smart fellows, surely you can count that there are three of you and... more of us."

"What are you doing?" one of the guards hissed at Remus.

"A little known fact about us British," Remus began. "We have the unique ability to convince an armed guard to give up...just by virtue of talking to them."

"Maybe we should just hex 'em anyway!" A man shouted from the crowd. "I don't have anything against those muggles but..."

"This isn't how things were supposed to go!" One of the Death Eaters hissed towards the leader.

"Listen to your friend, leave before these people decide not to let you."

The Death Eaters knew that if they returned to Lucius Malfoy, right hand man to the Dark Lord, that they would surely be executed. They needed to bring a trophy, something to show that they were indeed successful in their mission.

"We're taking you with us then Lupin!"

"The door's as far as I go!" he shot back.

But his adversary would not back down. "You want these... _people_ to live? You come with us. I'm sure the Dark Lord will be most pleased with us."

Remus turned to the guard who had spoken earlier. "Are you absolutely sure there's security waiting for us out there?" he whispered.

"Can't see why there wouldn't be-"

He suddenly found himself strangled by Remus grabbing him by the collar. "You have to do better than that! What's protocol in a situation like this? I'm about to put my ass on the line, so you can damn well be sure I'm not going to do it unless I know I'll be safe!"

The guard, whose small nametag identified as Hansen, pushed himself clear of Remus before brushing off his shirt. "Yes," he gasped irritatedly. "If they've followed policy, they're still outside until we give them the all clear. Hell by now PAMA should be here!"

"PAMA?" Ellen asked.

But before Hansen could respond, he was cut off.

"So what's it gonna be Lupin? It's either you or the muggles!"

One of his fidgety cohorts took a step backward, holding his child hostage close as he backed away to the exit. "I'm not dying over some dirty muggle!"

"Shut the hell up, Miller! Can't you see we're about to get outta here! With Lupin, no less! Never shoulda brought a bloody coward like you on this mission in the first place!"

"Whatcha doin, using our names for? Are you actually trying to get us killed?" Another shouted as he backed off to join his friend. "You can stay here if you want, _Pratchett, _but I'm out." He dropped his hostage and bolted for the exit.

A sudden flash of green and a thud announced his death. Pratchett quickly turned his wand away from the dissenter and to his former hostage, now tracking two at the same time.

"Don't you even think about it Miller, unless you want to join Kempsey over there. We're in this together." He turned his attention back to Remus. "If you won't give us the bitch Lupin, we'll take you. Drop your wand and get over here."

Taking a deep breath, Remus nodded and handed his wand to Ellen."Keep it safe, I'll be back for it," he said with far more confidence than he felt. He walked slowly towards the masked men with his hands out to his sides.

"Right Lupin, turn around. Muggles, grab onto his coat," Pratchett instructed, slowly pulling the human chain backwards towards the exit with his surviving accomplice. "Miller, you get on the other side. You see anything-ANYTHING at all, you kill them, understand? On my count, once we're outside the building, we apparate to the safehouse, feel free to bring the muggle women, if that's what you're into."

"We agreed it would be just me!" Remus shouted in protest as his captors turned their backs to the barrier to cover their retreat.

"That's if we got Granger, not for getting you Lupin. Half-Breeds are worth less in the current market, you see."

Gritting his teeth, all Remus could do was move forward toward the barrier, praying that there was a force on the other side waiting to rescue him.

* * *

><p><em>1:08 PM<em>

_Hogwarts_

"I'm sure that Ronald is going to help the Hufflepuffs," Luna opined as she and Draco walked past the doors to the Great Hall. The pair had been lazily searching the castle for any sign of Ron or Neville in the hopes that they could aid in their quest to bring an end to the Umbridge regime. Surprisingly, Draco appeared to be taking the lead in this endeavor ever since his lecture at the hands of Snape in the Room of Requirement. "If he managed to convince Professor McGonagall to help then the only thing left for him to do is help the Hufflepuffs."

"And they're in the Astronomy Tower," Draco informed her, causing her to pause and look at him in confusion. "What?" he asked.

"You confuse me Draco Malfoy," she said. "One moment you preach the dominance of the purebloods and the ideology of Professor Umbridge, the next you are helping to rescue students she and your friends imprisoned. If I didn't know any better I'd assume that your brain was infested with Cranial Numbats. But everybody knows that they're hibernating this time of year."

"Cranial... what?" Draco shook his head. "Um, no. It's just that-"

"Professor Snape told you to?" Luna supplied helpfully.

"Do you want me to answer your question or not?" he barked. Luna nodded, unfazed. "Professor Snape _did_ point out a few things that I have failed to consider in the past. But don't think that I'm doing this just because he told me to or because I've changed my mind about anything!"

Luna did not respond as she waited patiently for him to continue, a dreamy look plastered on her face.

"And that look makes it look like you're not even paying attention!"

"But I am," she responded with a shrug, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Sure... Do you still want me to answer your question, or are you going to stare off into space while I talk?"

"I was not staring into space," she maintained. "I just find that people are less uncomfortable when I am not staring into their eyes while they talk."

"You what? No... just no. Look at me when I'm talking to you, otherwise I don't think you're paying attention, alright?"

"You're a funny person Draco," Luna giggled. "But if it makes you feel more comfortable, I will try. I have just found that it's easier for people to ignore me when I'm not looking directly at them. Now, you were trying to explain your sudden change of heart?"

"I..."

"Don't worry, you don't have to answer me right now. I don't need you to answer right away."

"But you asked! Why did you ask if you don't want to know the answer?"

"Because I wanted to know if you knew. I am curious, but I can wait for an answer. I was simply unsure if you could as well."

Draco snorted as he rolled his eyes. "Typical," he muttered. "Can we just move on and go save the weasel and his lapdog?"

Luna shrugged. "You are the one who keeps going back to my question. I have no problem standing here and talking about it if you don't. That is, however, up to you."

Rolling his eyes once more, Draco turned away from her and led the way down the corridor once more.

"So we are going to help Ronald?" Luna asked as she chased after him.

"Where else would we be going? Hogsmeade?" Draco snapped sarcastically.

"That would be nice," she mused. "But maybe another time. I wouldn't want to ruin our date worrying about Ronald."

_She's completely barmy_, Draco thought, dwelling on her last comment. _No wonder they call her Loony!_

However his thoughts were interrupted as a lone figure flew around the corner at the far end of the corridor. Neville careened around the bend and skidded to a stop as soon as he saw Draco and Luna.

"Malfoy? What are you doing out of the Room of Requirement?" he sputtered upon seeing the pair.

"I broke through the iron bars with my bare hands, how do you think I got out?" Draco retorted.

"He didn't ask how you got out," Luna pointed out. "He asked what you were doing out of the Room of Requirement. They are two very different questions."

"Forget it," Neville added dismissively. "They've got Ron up in the Astronomy Tower."

"Of course they do! You two morons didn't think whatever stupid plan you came up with would actually work did you? Let me guess... Weasley disillusioned himself? Then he tried to sneak up on someone but failed miserably, right?" Neville's glance at his shoes gave Draco all the confirmation he needed. "Oh that's rich. You two actually tried something so stupid? I don't know why I even considered helping you if you're that stupid!"

"Draco!" Luna cried. "Be nice!"

"Or what? You'll stare at me?"

"I have a wand and you do not," she reminded him darkly. "Do not make me use it."

"Oh, I'm so scared," he deadpanned. "But once again it's left to a Slytherin to bail out a Gryffindor's sorry ass."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Neville asked.

Draco waved him off. "Something that happened over the summer that's too complex for your tiny mind to handle."

"You know Malfoy, I'm getting really tired of you constantly putting us down... me down all of the time!" Neville exploded. "For the past six years all you've done is make fun of me for this and that! And you know what? I've let you! I've rolled over like a good little boy while you've walked all over me! Well I'm done with it! Now you are going to help me save Ron and the Hufflepuffs, because I have a wand too. And unlike Luna here, I'll actually use it."

Draco quirked an eyebrow at the normally shy Gryffindor's outburst. "Looks like you actually do have a pair of bollocks in your trousers Longbottom. Now the real test is if you can actually use them upstairs." He pushed past Neville and rounded the corner, leaving Neville and Luna alone.

"Well done Neville," she complimented once they were alone. "You stuck up for yourself very well there. But you were wrong about one thing."

"What's that?"

"I would have actually used my wand against him."

* * *

><p><em>1:10 PM<em>

_Toronto Pearson International Airport_

Remus took a deep breath as he and the other hostages pass through the barrier separating the magical terminal from the muggle portions of the airport. He hoped that there would be at least a small contingent of security on the other side waiting to take the Death Eaters into custody.

But what they found shocked even him.

Waiting outside the magical terminal was a throng of guards clad in black armor that appeared, at least to Remus, to be made of dragonhide. By his count there were at least a dozen, perhaps more, all with their wands drawn and aimed at the two remaining Death Eaters.

In an instant, a dozen red jets erupted from those wands. Remus grabbed the two girls and dropped to the floor, narrowly missing the beams.

But Remus was not the only one who moved.

Pratchett and Miller each grabbed one of the parents and spun to use them as shields.

But it was too late as the stunners hit their mark.

Both Pratchett and Miller, along with their hostages, crumpled to the ground in a heap.

Both young girls screamed as they leapt to their feet and rushed over to their parents. Remus climbed to his feet and surveyed the crowd, only to stop short.

"Lupin!" a voice called out. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing Daltrey," Remus replied as he dusted off his trousers.

"Cleaning up another one of your messes it seems," Daltrey jabbed good-naturedly.

"Well why don't you start by cleaning up that mess," Remus replied, gesturing to the two crying girls who were cradling their parents limp forms.

Daltrey nodded and, with a flick of his wrist, revived the two stunned muggles. They slowly came to, groggily opening their eyes to see their two young daughters staring up at them.

"They'll be fine," Daltrey said with a smirk. "Those two however," he added, glancing to the Death Eaters who were being hauled away by guards.

"What will happen to them?" Remus asked.

"I don't know how they do it in your precious Britain, but in this hemisphere we usually like to punish people for shooting up an airport."

"Looks like you developed a sense of humor since we last talked Daltrey," Remus joked. "But you didn't answer my question: what are you doing here?"

"Like I said, I came here to clean up your mess-"

"But how does that involve a law enforcement officer from Las Vegas?"

"Because I'm no longer a 'law enforcement officer from Las Vegas,'" he quipped. "After you guys came and tore up my city, I was offered a position with PAMA-"

"PAMA?" Ellen interrupted suddenly from behind Remus. "I heard that name earlier. What is it?"

"Pan-American Magical Alliance," both Remus and Roger replied in unison.

"Right," Daltrey said. "We can't all be as happily backwards as you lot in Europe. It's too easy for muggles to run between countries around here, much less wizards. Hard to keep Dark types from just running off wherever they please, whenever they please without a group to keep tabs on them. So PAMA covers North America and South America, give or take some islands along the way."

"But what about the Eurozone?" Ellen asked. "We've got something like that!"

Daltrey snorted in disbelief. "The _Eurozone_ is a muggle invention. There's nothing special about it. As for your precious ICW, fat load of good they did about Voldemort or Grindelwald."

"Grindelwald?"

"Another time," Remus whispered. "So you're with PAMA now?"

"Right. And can you believe it? Still no raise! But because you managed to get caught up in a shootout in an international airport, guess who got to respond?"

"That's great and all, but we've got to get out of here. Those blokes were after Ellen here. Her daughter Hermione's been kidnapped back home, and now they're coming after here. I've got to get her out of here and back to Britain."

"Oh no you don't! You're all witnesses for the trial, can't have you just running off," Daltrey admonished before breaking out into a grin. "Just messin', get out of here. How's that for developing a sense of humor?"

"Terrible," Ellen said flatly. "Just through the floo over there though?"

Daltrey nodded. "We've got more than enough witnesses here to put those sons of bitches away for life...in Area 51 no less! Can you believe people still think there are aliens there? There _are_ weird things there...but not because of aliens..."

* * *

><p><em>1:15 PM<em>

_Brewer Street, London_

Harry and Richard stepped off of the Knight Bus mere seconds before it vanished with a bang. Even with the thunderous crack, neither Richard nor Harry could see any of the countless muggles sparing them a second glance. They milled about on the sidewalk, going about their business, seemingly oblivious to the presence of Harry and Richard.

The two had been deposited in a busy section of London, densely populated by various clubs and restaurants as well as the occasional sign advertising some form of illicit entertainment. Many of the billboards and signs in the area fell into this category, advertising that a certain club had the best girls or the hottest dancers in town.

"Nice area," Harry commented to his companion as they walked down the street, taking in their surroundings.

"Not nearly as bad as it used to be," Richard replied. "You used to not be able to take a step without tripping over some form of whore or pimp. Just be glad they've cleaned it up a bit."

"Cleaned it up? What? Have you spent a lot of time down here?"

"Watch it kid. You're lucky I need your magic to save Hermione, otherwise I'd take my belt to you for that remark."

Harry breathed a sigh of relief that his joke had worked, and had managed to take Richard's mind off of the severity of the situation at hand. Ever since he had found out from Sirius that Hermione was potentially being held in a gentleman's club Richard had been much more distant, even more so than when he had found out that Hermione was missing in the first place. Harry had attempted to take his mind off of that fact, first by changing the subject during their walk back to Hogwarts and on the Knight Bus, and now by joking about the area. Every little bit helped as far as Harry was concerned.

However, now that he had succeeded in that minor task, Harry turned his attention back to their current predicament and their arrival at the street Sirius had given them. Tisbury Court was a lively side street between Rupert Street and Wardour Street, and Harry doubted that any wholly magical business here would be able to survive long and remain secret at the same time.

"It has to be a muggle club," he told Richard. "Either that or Crabbe and Goyle are taking a page out of Malfoy's book and running a club that's part magical and part muggle, kinda like The Merlin."

"It'd make sense," Richard agreed, "to a point. I mean, what would they gain by having a magical element in the first place? Wouldn't it make more sense to just have a wholly muggle club and buy it out?"

"Death Eaters wouldn't go muggle if their life depended on it," Harry countered. "They're there for the money, but there's no way they're not going to include a magical element. Of course, I don't pretend to know what Malfoy thinks... or Crabbe and Goyle for that matter."

"Do you still have that fake ID you got in Las Vegas? You know, the one that shows you being over the legal age?"

Harry nodded and pulled out the wallet he had received from the Heathrow branch of Gringotts before traveling to the United States over the summer. Ever since that holiday, he had made sure to carry it with him just in case it was needed, along with the remainder of the money that he had withdrawn at the same branch. "Never leave Hogwarts without it."

"Good, because you're probably gonna need it... because I think that's the club."

Richard nodded across the narrow street at a wide, squat, brownstone-style tucked snugly between two taller buildings. While only appearing to be three stories in height, the building was several dozen meters wide, and an unknown distance in length. A tasteful sign hung off of the roof, covering the windows of the third floor and advertising the building as The Revue at Tisbury.

"You know, I always imagined a place like this to be really seedy," Harry mused.

The fact was that the general appearance of the building was anything but seedy. The brick exterior was well maintained, as were the sparse hedges in front. The sign appeared to be professionally made and upscale, while the stairs that descended downward from the street were clean and free of debris. Peeking down the stairs, Harry could see a lone man standing at their base, likely a bouncer of sorts, clad in a tight black tee and black jeans.

"The outside's one thing," Richard grumbled, his mind now back on the fact that they were standing in front of what was, in essence, a strip club. "Just wait until you get inside. That's where you get the worst of it."

"I know. I can imagine," Harry reassured him.

"You sure you want to subject yourself to a place like that? I mean, I'm sure I could go in there on my own and-"

"No, I'm going in there," the younger man interrupted. "There's no force on Earth, magical or muggle, that could keep me from going in there and getting Hermione."

Richard nodded in appreciation, breathing an audible sigh of relief at Harry's words. It was obvious that he dreaded the possibility of facing down a group of potential wizards without any form of magical backup.

Leading the way, Richard began to descend the stairs, with Harry close at his heels. Harry made it a point not to touch the wrought iron railing as they descended, out of fear for what might be on them.

In a few short seconds, they reached the landing at the base of the stairs.

Not a word was spoken between Richard and the bouncer as the latter greeted the former with a curt nod, stepping aside to allow him access through the black door. However, as soon as Richard had disappeared, the bouncer moved back into position, blocking Harry's access.

"No way in hell you're gettin' in kid," he barked gruffly, taking in Harry's appearance.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked as he reached into his back pocket for his wallet.

"You don't look a day over sixteen kid. Gotta be eighteen to get in, so get lost."

"Hasn't anyone ever told you what assuming does?" Harry asked, pulling out his fake ID card and handing it to the bouncer, who examined it closely. "It makes an ass out of you and me. But in this case, as you can see," he added, plucking the card out of the man's hand, "it just makes an ass out of you."

He pushed past the burly man and opened the door before it quickly closed again, shrouding Harry in darkness.

It took several seconds for Harry's eyes to adjust to the darkness of his new surroundings. The sudden change from the bright white of the snow covered streets of London to the dimly lit corridors of an underground club meant that Harry was temporarily blinded. However, his vision soon returned to him, granting him a view of a two-toned hallway in black and red, with bright red carpet. Standing less than a meter to his right, just inside the door, was Richard.

"Have some trouble out there?" he asked as Harry's eyes finished adjusting.

"Less than some."

Richard nodded and let it be as he turned and led the way down the hall. Various glamour shots of different models and dancers adorned the walls, all autographed as though the pair was walking through some glitzy theater. A handful of stark black doors littered the sides of the hall, each bearing a bronze nameplate, usually one that corresponded with a nearby portrait.

After a short walk, the hall turned and Richard and Harry rounded the corner to find that it widened into a very large room. Pushing through the beads that hung from the end of the hall, the pair found themselves in the crowded central venue of the club.

A large, raised rectangular stage sat in the center of the room, connected to a curtained door at the far end of the room by a several meter long runway. Three silver poles glistened in the dim light, arranged in a triangular pattern on the empty stage. Several dozen round tables littered the room on all sides of the stage, many of which were full, as were all of the stools that sat directly against the stage itself.

As Harry surveyed the room, he noticed that the clientele of the venue fell into a certain social class. Whereas he had expected scraggly drunks and lowlifes to frequent such an establishment, he was taken aback that many, if not most of the visitors were clad in fine suits and were well groomed. Obviously this club catered to the upper class and wealthy. The cigar smoke that filled the air only added to this impression.

"Not quite what I was expecting..." Harry muttered.

"Which was?"

Harry shrugged. "I don't know. I guess something a bit... dirtier? Maybe blokes tripping over each other to get to the stage? I don't know really."

Richard chuckled at his naivete. "There's not anyone on the stage yet Harry," he reminded him. "So you might see the tripping. And as far as dirty... well, I'm not even gonna touch that one."

The pair took a seat at an empty table near the back of the room, far away from any of the other patrons. They watched as the others visited quietly amongst themselves, waiting for a performer to appear on the stage.

"So what are we supposed to do now?" Harry asked, completely lost in his new surroundings.

"There has to be more to this place than this," Richard reasoned. "If Hermione's here, they're not gonna keep her backstage where everyone could see... there has to be something else here."

As he finished speaking, a scantily clad busty blonde approached their table, tray in hand. She was dressed in a thin, baby blue bikini top that was little more than two tiny triangles of fabric over each breast, and a matching bottom that, if one blinked, was easy to miss.

"Can I get you lads something?" she asked as she bent down to their level, giving both of them a generous view of her cleavage as she placed her tray on the table.

Richard glanced around, trying desperately to not to stare. Harry was less successful.

Clearing his throat to draw Harry's attention away from the blonde, Richard met her eyes. "I um... hear that there's... that this place offers something... more?" he whispered, his eyes shifting from side to side as if to watch for eavesdroppers.

She straightened up at his words, picking up her tray as she did so. "Excuse me for a moment," she said before abruptly walking off.

Richard and Harry watched her walk away, her hips swaying as she left.

"I hope I didn't just cock everything up," Richard muttered as she disappeared through a door next to the stage. He turned his attention to Harry, who's eyes were seemingly glazed over, his gaze still fixed on where the waitress had just been. "Harry!" Richard hissed. "Get your mind off the bint and back on who we're really here for!"

Harry shook his head at Richard's scolding as if to clear his mind. "Sorry," he whispered.

Richard gave him a small, sad smile. "It's alright Harry. I had a hard time not looking myself. Let's just not mention this to Ellen... or Hermione when we find her, alright?"

Harry nodded in agreement. "Right, _when_ we find her."

As he finished speaking the already low lights in the room dimmed further as bass-heavy music began to pump through the club. The multi-colored spotlights that hung from the ceiling above the stage came to life, dancing across the stage and bathing it in a psychedelic light show.

Suddenly the curtains parted and a voluptuous redhead strode out, met by hoots and catcalls from the all-male audience. If Harry and Richard thought that the attire of the waitress was risque, they were in for a shock when they saw the dancer walk onto the stage.

Both Harry and Richard attempted to avert their eyes inconspicuously as she grabbed the nearest pole and began to fling herself around it erotically. They were, however, saved by the opening of the door that they had seen the waitress leave through. A plump, balding man with a graying beard appeared, wearing a fine cut suit. The waitress too, who Harry had dubbed 'Bambi' poked her head through after him before pointing at Harry and Richard. She then vanished once more.

Trying to look as though they were paying attention to the dancer, who had began to reach behind her back to undo her top, Harry and Richard watched the man approach out of the corner of their eye. Just as the top fell to the ground, the fat man stepped in front of Harry and Richard, effectively blocking their view of the stage.

"I hear you gentlemen are interested in a... different kind of entertainment?" he asked in a hushed whisper. Richard nodded in response. "Can I ask who told you we offered such services?"

"No," Richard replied curtly, exuding more confidence than he felt. "That's a private matter that's none of your concern."

The man nodded sagely. "Fair enough. Then I doubt I need to ask if you can afford such-"

"What do you take us for?" Harry interrupted. "Do you think we'd come down here and ask if we couldn't afford it?"

"Whoa there kiddo!" the man chuckled mirthfully. "Calm down! I was just askin' that's all. But the question is, are you old enough?"

"Am I old enough?" Harry balked. "Why don't you ask that to Brutus or whatever his name is outside! He's the one who checked before I came in here!"

The man threw up his hands in his own defense. "Alright there kiddo! I was just tryin' to feel ya out! No harm done! Now if you gentlemen'll follow me, I think we might be able to cater to your... unique tastes." He gestured for the pair to rise and follow him as he turned and began to walk back to the door.

Rihard and Harry jumped to their feet and walked after him, the latter of the two trying desperately to not watch the stage as the woman flung her thong into the audience and crouched, spreading her knees for their enjoyment. _I've got a girlfriend_, he reminded himself. _I've got a girlfriend._

This thought continued to echo through his mind as he followed Richard and the other man through the black door to the side of the stage. As it slammed behind him, he breathed a sigh of relief... before holding his breath in anticipation of what was to come.

* * *

><p><em>1:24 PM<em>

_Hogwarts_

"I must thank each and every one of you for attending this meeting on such short notice," Minerva began, standing from her seat around one of the many small tables that littered the Divination classroom. Every member of the Hogwarts staff, with the exception of Dolores Umbridge, had accepted her request to for a staff meeting during the traditional student lunch period. They sat in small groups around the other tables in the room, waiting for the Deputy Headmistress to explain why she had called such a meeting.

"As you are no doubt aware," she continued, "there was an incident earlier this morning involving the sixth years and their Defense Against the Dark Arts class. I believe I speak for all of us when I say that we find the events of the day truly reprehensible." She did not, however, elaborate as to which events were reprehensible. "I therefore believed that we as a faculty need to take this opportunity to take care of a number of pressing matters, especially in light of the upcoming holidays." A small smile began to creep onto her face as she spoke, belying her true feelings.

"Minerva," Pomona Sprout interrupted from her seat next to Septima Vector, "should we not take action in light of the violence earlier this morning? An uprising against a head has never been tolerated in the history of Hogwarts, as far as I am aware."

"Nor am I aware of any such situation," Minerva agreed. "However," she added, a faint twinkle in her eye, "there must always be a first time for everything."

"Are you suggesting what I think you are?" Rolanda Hooch gasped. "You suggest helping the students?"

Minerva shook her head fervently. "Oh, nothing of the kind Rolanda. We would truly be remiss in our duties as members of staff if we were to publicly support the removal of the Headmistress. I would never dream of marching alongside the students into the Great Hall and removing a person that I hold in such... high esteem," she spat.

"Then what are you suggesting?"

"Simply what I stated at the beginning of this meeting, that we discuss any and all matters that require our attention and deliberation as the faculty. Of course, while we are holding this meeting in a secluded and distant part of the castle, there is little to no supervision of the students. However, I have always believed that there are always opportunity costs to any course of action. Now, I believe our first course of action should be to decide

on the main dish for this year's Christmas feast; whether it be turkey or Beef Wellington. Afterwards we can move on to how many ornaments shall be placed on the second floor Christmas tree...the one by the girls' lavatory. Now, who would like to speak in favor of turkey?"

"This is outrageous! You called a staff meeting over such a trifle? There is nothing to discuss - beef wellington is clearly the superior christmas dish given the traditional mulled wine!" Sinistra shouted, barely suppressing a grin as Septima Vector cried out in defense of the Christmas turkey. It was clear to all involved that the meeting would be long and spirited.

Meanwhile, Neville, Luna, and Draco had reached the corner from which Neville had seen Ron captured. The same Slytherin that Ron had run into was still in place, standing guard at the corner at the far end of the corridor.

"So this is where you two bollocksed it all up?" Draco asked Neville. But he quickly put up his hand to silence any retort. "Now before you get all huffy and go off on me again, hear me out. I know your precious Gryffindor bravdo requires you to go charging in without considering the consequences, so just listen to me while I save your sorry arse."

"I'm listening," Neville growled through gritted teeth.

"Good. Patience is a virtue and all that. Anyway, I'm a Slytherin-"

"I've noticed."

"Excellent! Now we know you have a brain to go along with your bollocks!" Draco replied snidely. "So I should be able to get past the members of the Inquisitorial Squad without any suspicion."

"And what good would that do us? How do we know you're not just playing us to get back to your goons?"

Draco clutched his chest in mock horror. "Longbottom! You wound me! How could you ever believe that I would double-cross you?"

"Do you want me to count the reasons?"

"Maybe another time. I wouldn't want you to hurt that new brain of yours by trying to count higher than two. But before you jump to conclusions... again, think about what it means if I can get past the guards."

Neville did not respond, and his face remained stony, giving no indication as to whether he understood Draco's point.

"Let me educate you then," Draco sighed. Suddenly he plucked the wand out of Neville's hand and trained it on the Gryffindor. "You are now my prisoner. Those dolts in there don't know about anything that's happened in the last few hours, so they won't suspect me of wanting to take down the toad."

"What's your angle Malfoy?" Neville asked. "Why are you _really_ helping us?"

Draco rolled his eyes. "Because I've always secretly wanted to live in a world of peace, love and happiness under the Gryffindor banner. A world where everyone eats nothing but lollipops and candy and shits rainbows. Honestly, are you that thick? I'm in it for me, not you. Get it?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Luna smacked Draco on the back of his head.

"Ow! What was that for?" he asked, rubbing the back of his head.

"That's for using that kind of language," she scolded. "Nobody likes that kind of language and nobody thinks you're cool for using it, understood?"

Draco was taken aback by the sudden change in her demeanor, and even more so by the fact that she seemed to return to her serene self an instant later. But he shook it off, refusing to pursue the subject any further for fear that his brain would literally explode.

"You're my prisoners," he repeated, "and I'm gonna take you in there to the others. And then-"

"We attack them?" Neville supplied helpfully.

"No you moron! Do you honestly think they'd sit back and just let us do that? They've got hostages up there, you can't just go in wands blazing!"

"Oh!" Luna interjected. "We could expose them to the mating song of the Slavering Gumbat! It puts humans to sleep instantly! Oh, I'm sure we could get one from Hagrid if we hurry..."

"Oh dear Merlin no!" Draco cried in exasperation. "Enough with the ruddy make-believe creatures! Where do you come up with these things anyway?"

"From daddy's copy of Magnificent Magical Mysteries and Marmalades of course! There are all kinds of creatures in there that don't get the respect they deserve... and some truly delicious recipes too!"

"Of course it does... Loony, give me your wand," he ordered, thrusting out his hand expectantly. She handed it over without hesitation. "You trust me that much?" he asked with a smirk as he pocketed her wand.

"No."

"But why-"

"Because I believe you'll do the right thing, and that's enough for me," she replied cryptically. "Now you were going to lead us to the others?"

Draco rolled his eyes in what was fast becoming a habitual gesture when around Luna. He was seriously beginning to wonder if helping depose Umbridge was actually worth it. "Move you two!" He stepped behind Neville and Luna and poked both of them in the back with his wand to urge them forward and around the corner.

As the trio stepped into view of the Slytherin guard, Draco saw him draw his wand cautiously, training it shakily at the newcomers.

"Malfoy?" he began. "What're you doing here? I thought you were supposed to be with the Gryffindors?"

"And in case you haven't noticed, I've got a Gryffindor right here you dolt! The stupid squib thought he could get away, but I managed to catch him and Loony Lovegood. Didn't want to take them all the way down to the dungeons and risk them getting away again though, so I thought I might as well bring them up here since it was closer."

The unnamed Slytherin nodded warily before stepping aside and allowing Draco and the others access to the stairwell. While Neville had seen the Ravenclaw member of the Inquisitorial Squad hiding just around this corner before, now she appeared to be missing. He assumed that she was just up the stairs at the top of the Astonomy Tower.

* * *

><p><em>1:31 PM<em>

Ron Weasley slowly regained consciousness, blinking several times to try and clear his vision. The last thing he remembered was a sudden flash of red in the corridor just below the Astronomy classroom. Now he found himself sitting on a cold stone floor, his hands bound behind his back and his ankles bound in front of him.

Looking around, he saw that he had not come far while unconscious, as he was in the Astronomy classroom itself. However, he was not alone.

From what Ron could see from his limited vantage point, unable to turn his head a good deal due to his bindings, there were approximately a half dozen other students sitting on the floor just as he was. They were arranged in pairs, apparently with their wrists tied to each others to make escape even more difficult. Seeing this made Ron curious as to who he might be tied to.

Craning his neck as far as he could, Ron was able to see another pair of shoulders just over his own, although who they belonged to remained a mystery.

"Who's there?' he whispered. He did not want to attract attention from the three members of the Inquisitorial Squad that he could see, for fear that there might be more severe repercussions this time than just a simple stunning.

"Honestly Ron, you've gone to school with me for six years. Can't you recognize me?" came the voice from behind him.

Ron struggled to place the feminine voice, only remembering that it came from a Hufflepuff. However, he realized, that much was obvious as all of the other prisoners in the room were supposed to be Hufflepuffs.

"Um..."

"Susan Bones," she sighed in obvious resignation.

"Oh Susan! I knew it was you!" he lied.

"You're lying Weasley," she chided lightly. "But the question is what you're doing here. Last I heard the Gryffindors had been taken down to the dungeons."

"How'd you hear that?"

"You think these Slytherin's are smart enough to keep quiet about something like that? They actually managed to accomplish something! They've been going on and on about it ever since we got up here!"

"Sounds just like them," Ron agreed. "So are you guys planning anything to get out of here?"

She snorted. "We can't. They've got us too far away from each other to talk without shouting. So if we try and plan something they'll know about it instantly. Plus we can't really move, so that kinda limits our options."

"I was just asking..." he said sheepishly.

"Sorry," she apologized. "I guess I'm just kinda upset about the whole situation. We're here, tied up, all because we stood up for ourselves and our education. Kinda barmy if you ask me."

"It's more than barmy. But we've gotta find a way out of here. I can't imagine there are many people around who'll break us out of here, so I almost think we have to do it ourselves."

"Any ideas?" she asked.

"I-" But he was cut off by the arrival of three newcomers, one of which he was less than pleased to see. "Malfoy," he groaned.

"Weasley!" Draco exclaimed excitedly. "Great to see you! Looks like you finally managed to act out your bondage fantasies!"

"It's just a shame I wasn't able to tie you up Malfoy."

"Promises Weasley, , I brought you some company! Longbottom was stupid enough to come running to me for help. I still hold out hope that one of these days he'll actually grow a brain but I'm losing hope fast."

Ron rolled his eyes but did not respond. He was tired of fighting with Draco at every turn. The fact that he was unable to come up with a biting retort also played a role in his silence.

"What's the matter Weasley? Can't think of anything to say? You know, I think I can hear the gears trying to turn in your head. Shame they're all rusted though."

He nudged Neville and Luna forward into the center of the room before stepping back.

* * *

><p><em>1:37 PM<em>

_The Revue at Tisbury_

After wandering down a series of indistinguishable hallways and climbing a number of disconnected staircases, Harry, Richard, and their portly companion found themselves in front of a locked door. While their guide fished around in his pocket for a key, Harry wondered what could possibly be so illicit that it was tucked deep within a gentleman's club, behind a maze of corridors and a locked door. Whatever it was, the owners and operators of the club did not want anyone on the street finding out.

The door unlocked with an audible click and the unnamed man waddled through, leading Harry and Richard into what appeared to be an outer office of sorts. The black and red decor, as well as the black doors, gave way to a much more plush decorating scheme. Whereas the outside of the door matched the black of every other door they had seen so far, the inside was a darkly stained wood, which matched the wood wainscoting on the walls as well as the hardwood floors, and contrasted nicely with the maroon walls.

While the room was only approximately four meters square, most of it was taken up by a heavy oak desk in the center, staffed by a petite yet gorgeous brunette secretary. She glanced at the newcomers over her rectangular frames before turning her attention to their guide.

"The usual treatment Mr. Molj?" she asked, giving Harry and Richard at least part of the man's name.

"Indeed Ms. Brouns," he replied. "The services they require are up to them... and their wallets," he added in a whisper as he leaned over to her. Despite the hushed tone, both Harry and Richard were able to hear him clearly. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have business to attend to."

He turned to leave through the same door as he had entered, but was stopped by his secretary.

"Actually Mr. Molj, there is a... matter that could use your attention." He paused without turning to face her as he waited for her to continue. "We seem to be having some trouble with the... occupant of room eleven," she told him. "They seem to refuse to... keep quiet."

"I see," he replied before spinning and walking over to her. "I'll be in my office for a minute then I'll take care of it." He walked around the desk and to the arched doorway behind it before disappearing.

"Now gentlemen," Brouns continued without skipping a beat, "we must get you settled." She looked to Harry first. "Hm, you seem quite young... so I assume the younger the better for you?"

"Huh?"

"I assume you like them young?" she repeated, glancing down at what looked to be a planner of sorts on her desk. "Well no matter, I think we can accommodate you quite nicely. And for you sir?" she asked Richard.

Richard glanced to Harry for support but found none. Unfortunately, Ms. Brouns took his silence and glance to Harry for agreement with the younger man.

"So the same arrangement for you sir?" She did not wait for an answer but instead scribbled something down in her book before rising from her seat. "We accept payment following the inspection of the goods and delivery of services," she explained mysteriously. "This way please gentlemen."

She led the way through the narrow archway and around a sharp corner into a long hall, lined on one side by a series of doors that matched the one in the reception area. At the far end of the long hall, Harry could see a sign which read 'Stairs' with an arrow pointing to the right, indicating that the corner at the end was actually a staircase.

Ms. Brouns led Harry and Richard past several doors before stopping at the one whose name plate identified it as room number five. Brouns turned to Richard "This one's for you Mr..."

"Not important," he replied curtly. He opened the door and, giving Harry one last significant look, stepped inside, closing the door behind himself.

"And now for you sir," Brouns continued, walking Harry further down the hall to room number seven. "Now remember, we require payment on the way out. However, feel free to enjoy your stay and please let me know if the goods are not up to your standard."

She remained rooted in place, her arms crossed expectantly as she waited for Harry to open the door.

With a heavy sigh, Harry turned the knob and stepped through the door before closing it. However, he saw Brouns turn and walk away through the final sliver before the door closed completely. Turning, he took in his new surroundings.

The room he found himself in was small but decorated in a similar fashion to the hall outside. The only distinguishing features were the bed in the center of the room, resting against the wall to his left, and the window on the far side of the room that looked to be blocked by some kind of white covering on the outside, perhaps wood.

But Harry ignored these facts. Instead his attention was focused something far more disturbing.

Laying on the bed, naked and motionless, was a girl of no more than ten years of age.

Eyes wide in terror, Harry quickly spun and wrenched the door open, stepping back into the hall. Doing so, he caught the attention of Ms. Brouns, who was only halfway down the hall. She turned and quickly walked back to him.

"Is something the matter?" she asked, concern dripping from her voice.

"I... I..." Harry stammered, his eyes still wide as he finally realized the 'service' provided here.

"Yes?"

"I... I just..." He tried to form a coherent sentence, but he was unable to. The thought of what transpired here was simply too reprehensible for him to comprehend.

"May I suggest you spend more time in the room inspecting the merchandise before judging it so quickly?" she proposed. "If it is not to your liking, please let me know. However, making a rash decision may lead to regret, eh?" She opened the door for Harry once more and gently nudged him back inside before closing it again.

Averting his eyes, Harry walked over to the bed and took a seat on the edge. "Could you put some clothes on please?" he asked the girl, of whom he had only had the briefest of glimpses.

"I don't have any," came the squeaky reply from behind him.

Despite the fact that he refused to look at her, Harry knew that the girl had a head of long blonde hair and possessed a short, petite frame which he dwarfed. And now he knew she sounded far too nice to be mixed up in this kind of business.

"Can't you get under the covers at least?" he begged.

He heard the shuffling of sheets and blankets as he felt a weight move about on the bed. Daring to look over his shoulder he found that she was now completely covered by the bed coverings, with the exception of her bare shoulders, to which she clutched the sheets.

"You don't think I'm pretty?" her tiny voice cracked.

Harry shook his head honestly. "I think you're very pretty," he told her truthfully. It was true, he thought she was pretty... just not in a sexual way.

"I'm a good girl," she told him. "I'll make it good for you. They all like me because I'm good."

Tears welled up in Harry's eyes as he thought of what life must be like for this little girl. He did not even know her name yet he felt more pity for her than people he had known for years. Here she was, just barely ten years old, if that, and subject to the perverse sexual desires of the rich men of London. Harry shuddered at the thought of what such a life must be like, to not be considered a real person, but instead as a product. 'Merchandise.' That is what Brouns had called her. Just a product to be used and discarded like yesterday's rubbish.

Harry's fists balled up in anger as these thoughts surged through his mind. He jumped to his feet and stormed over to the door.

"Don't you like me?" came the timid call from the bed, causing Harry to pause.

"I think I like you very much," he replied, his voice cracking in a combination of anger and sadness. "But I don't think this is right for you."

"I'll be good. I'll make it good for you," she repeated, the mantra clearly ingrained in her brain.

"What's your name?" She paused as if to consider his question. At her silence, Harry returned to the bed and sat down next to her. "Don't you know your name?"

"Tessa," she said quietly.

"Tessa," he repeated. "That's a very pretty name... for a very pretty girl."

"If I'm so pretty, why don't you take your clothes off?"

Harry scowled at her question. He suddenly felt years older than his age, thrust into a situation that he never should have even imagined in his wildest dreams. He realized that, alone in the room with this young girl, he was the adult. He needed to be the voice of reason; the hand of comfort and reassurance. But he needed to speak to her level. _Funny_, he thought. _I'm only a few years older than her, and here I am having to be the grown-up._

"Because I have a girlfriend," he informed her. "And she's very pretty just like you."

"Girlfriend? Then why are you here?"

"Because I'm looking for her. I heard she might be around here, so I wanted to check to make sure."

Tessa smiled weakly at Harry. "You're not like the other men. They all come in here and do their thing. Most of them are very rough... but you're not, are you?"

Harry felt that anger welling up inside of him once again at her story. "No Tessa, I'm not."

"But we did get a new girl earlier today," she continued. "I don't know anything about her, but I know she's been screaming most of the day."

Harry's head snapped up at this. Could this new girl be Hermione? There was only one way to find out. "Thanks Tessa," he said as he rose from the bed. He took a deep breath before continuing, daring himself to commit to such a bold course of action. _Oh to hell with it_. "I'll be back for you in a little bit alright? I'm gonna take you out of here. You don't need to be here anymore, alright?"

With that, he opened the door and poked his head out into the hall, glancing to either side and seeing nobody. Stepping outside tentatively he closed the door and walked down to the door to Richard's room. However, just as he reached for the knob, the door opened.

"Harry!" Richard gasped upon seeing his companion. He stepped into the hall, closing the door to his room behind him. "Find out anything?"

"She can't be any more than ten Richard!" Harry shouted. "Ten fucking years old!"

Richard nodded. "Mine was more like sixteen," he replied, more calmly than Harry. "Still disgusting."

"Disgusting? That's an understatement! Richard, she told me she'd make it good for me! That all of the other men think she's good! We're in the middle of a damned nightmare, that's what!"

At his shouting, Ms. Brouns rounded the corner in a panic. "Is everything alright gentle-"

"Stupefy!" Harry shouted, his wand suddenly in his hand. The red jet lashed out from the tip and struck her in the chest, causing her to crumple to the ground in a heap. "Sleep well you piece of shit," he muttered as he turned his back to her.

Snorting in anger, Harry tightened his grip on his wand. "Find some clothes for the girls," he barked. "I'm going to find Hermione."

"Like hell I will!" Richard cried. "I'm not just gonna roll over and abandon my daughter like-"

"Find. The. Clothes," Harry hissed menacingly. Without waiting for an answer, he stormed off down the hall toward the stairs. He had to check out room number eleven.

* * *

><p><em>1:45 PM<em>

Hermione opened her eyes groggily before suddenly shivering violently. As she slowly regained her senses, she felt her arms and legs being stretched in different directions. That was the first thing she felt. The second was the cold gust of air sweeping over her skin, causing her to look down at her naked body.

She was lying on a bed in a small, nondescript room of reds and deeply stained wood. Her ankles were tied to the posts at the foot of the bed so she could only assume that her wrists were tied to the headboard.

Hermione opened her mouth to scream for help, but no sound came out. Instead she felt a stinging sensation in her throat and promptly closed her mouth to stem the pain. She could not remember anything after being drugged earlier in the day, but apparently she had been screaming enough to damage her throat. If only she could remember it...

Despite how futile it had been earlier in the day, Hermione began to tug at her bindings once again but like before her efforts were fruitless.

Unable to scream for help, Hermione took to rocking on the bed. Summoning every ounce of strength she possessed, Hermione pulled on the headboard and slammed it back against the wall.

The crash reverberated through the room as Hermione pulled the headboard back and rammed into the wall once more.

However, just before she could slam it against the wall for a second time, the door to the room opened, revealing the large man who she remembered from earlier in the day.

"Girly, you're almost more trouble than you're worth," he began, closing the door behind himself. "If I wasn't getting paid to have you here, there's no way I would choose you to be one of my girls."

Her eyes wide with fear, Hermione opened her mouth to cry out once more. But once again, no sound emerged. She pulled on he restraints binding her wrists, but they too refused to give.

"You need to learn your place girly. If I'm gonna have to put up with you staying here, I'm gonna have to make it worth my while."

As he walked toward her, he removed his jacket and tossed it to the side. He then removed his belt and discarded it as well.

"Oh, I'm sure you've never done anything like this girly. I feel so special... that I get to be the one to break you in."

He reached for the button of his pants and began to undo it as he took another step toward her.

Hermione's eyes were wide with fear as tears streamed down her face. She knew what was coming, and there was nothing she could do about it. Closing her eyes, Hermione began to pray for the second time that day. She prayed that she was dreaming. She prayed that she would be delivered from this nightmare. She prayed that she would be saved.

Suddenly a loud crash echoed through the room. Hermione's eyes snapped open just in time to see a great red flash behind her attacker. He slumped to the ground, revealing a lone figure standing behind.

It was Harry.

His wand was hanging stiffly at his side, his knuckles white from his grip. His eyes burned with anger as he looked down at his victim, his lip twitching in fury. But his attention quickly shifted to the other occupant of the room.

"Hermione!" he cried. He shoved his wand in his back pocket as he rushed to her side.

Her eyes were still wide with shock as she began to slowly withdraw into herself. As Harry's panic-stricken face filled her vision, her eyes rolled up into her head.

Harry saw her faint and panicked once again. He dropped to his knees on the side of the bed and lovingly cradled Hermione's head in his arms, pulling her close to his chest as he sobbed silently. He could only imagine what she had been through in the hours since she had been abducted from Hogwarts. He had just walked into the room as that worthless bastard Molj had been preparing to... Harry shuddered at the thought and refused to think about it any more. But if that was any indication of what Hermione had suffered at the hands of her captors, there would be hell to pay.

Carefully releasing Hermione, Harry stood once more and turned his attention to her bonds. He slowly and painstakingly untied the ropes that held her chafed wrists to the headboard before walking around to her ankles.

_Don't look,_ he told himself, averting his gaze from her naked form. Under any other circumstances he would have allowed himself to take in Hermione's beauty. But for some reason that just seemed petty and perverted now. With a not insignificant amount of willpower, Harry managed to untie her ankles without staring.

Hermione was now free of her restraints.

Gingerly, Harry grabbed the white sheet upon which Hermione lay and wrapped it around her fragile frame. He then delicately picked her up and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Please Hermione," he whispered, "wake up. Please."

But he received no response.

"I can't imagine what you've been through," he told her, even though he knew she could not hear. "I'm just sorry I couldn't get to you earlier. It's my fault, I know. I should have known something like this would happen, but I didn't think." He chuckled darkly. "Same old story, I know. Leaping before I think... I just... I'm sorry. But I promise you... I promise you I'll find whoever did this to you. It's Malfoy, I know that. I promise you I'll find him and make him pay. I promise you I'll find him... and I'll kill him."

Suddenly the building shook violently. Dust rained from the ceiling as a great crash echoed. Then another. The building rocked on it's very foundation, sending Harry and Hermione careening into the nearby wall. It was all Harry could do to keep his footing and keep Hermione from falling to the ground.

"What is it now?" Harry muttered under his breath.

He staggered to through the broken door, fighting to keep standing as the building continued to rattle around them.

The doors on the second floor hall shook on their hinges but remained in place as Harry carried Hermione toward the stairs. As they reached the landing on the first floor, a large man burst out of the nearest door, his shirt untucked and tie undone as he frantically tried to pull up his pants while running for the exit.

Harry ignored him and pressed on, stopping in front of the closed door to the room he had been given. He kicked the door swiftly several times, his hands too full to knock.

The door swung open a moment later to reveal Richard's worried face.

"Hermione!" he cried, much like Harry had a few moments before. He reached out to take his daughter into his arms, but Harry pushed past and into the room, still clinging to her dearly.

"We've gotta get out of here," Harry barked. He glanced over at Tessa, who was still sitting patiently on the bed, now clad in short white nightgown. "That's it?" he asked. "It's freezing outside!"

"It's all I could find!" Richard exclaimed. "Remember where we are! It's not like they would keep full sets of clothes around here!"

"And what about the other girl?"

"She's gone. When I went back to that room, it was empty. I don't know where she went!"

Harry shook his head dismissively. "Sod it, let's go." He hefted Hermione up once more to better his grip before turning back to the door. "And she's coming to," he added, nodding to Tessa. "We'll get her better clothes when we get back to Grimmauld Place. But I'm not leaving her here."

"Right," Richard nodded. "Come on," he told Tessa gently. She looked at him questioningly but followed his command blindly. Hopping off the bed she stepped up next to him as the building was rocked by yet another tremor.

"Time to go!" Harry shouted as he whisked Hermione out of the room and down the hall. He stepped over Brouns's unconscious body, sparing it not even a passing glance.

Two minutes later the group burst into the club only to find it empty. Toppled chairs littered the ground along with broken glass and spilled drinks. The dozens of patrons who had been there less than thirty minutes before had clearly left in a hurry. From there it was just a short jaunt to the outer door. The tremors persisted, throwing the group into the walls several times during their flight.

But they soon found themselves breaking through the front door and onto the street.

What had previously been a quiet, snow covered street was now bathed in flames and ruin. The nearby buildings were a raging inferno, crumbling under the rampaging flames. The street had been reduced to a series of great craters, with the pavement cracked and uprooted, strewn in every direction from falling debris.

Rushing off of the side street and onto the nearby Rupert Street, they were taken aback at how bad it actually was.

The earlier sounds of jumbled conversation and everyday activity had been replaced by shouts and screams of terror. But that was not the worst of it. All around, Harry and the others could see bodies. Dozens of bodies. The normally busy thoroughfare had been reduced to a nightmare of hellish proportions. Cars were strewn about, crashed into each other violently. Broken glass and shards of metal and plastic formed a thick blanket on the pavement.

As Harry and the others stood in shock, a massive jet of flame descended from the heavens, igniting the closest vehicle.

Harry's head snapped up to the sky. A massive creature, the likes of which he had never seen, streaked across the sky, flames erupting from its mouth. With the head of a lion, the body of a goat, a snake's head for a tail, and the wings of an eagle, it looked to be a genetics experiment gone wrong. But then it hit Harry. This was a chimera.

As he watched it rocket through the sky, he saw that it was not alone. He saw a second. Then a third. Then a fourth and more, all raining fire and destruction upon London.

Breathing a sigh of relief that the chimera had passed over, Harry turned his attention back to the ground. But not for long. The scream of a jet engine yanked his attention back to the heavens as a quartet of jets streaked across the sky.

Harry was not going to wait around to see what would become of this. "Richard, my wand!" he called, unable to reach his back pocket while holding Hermione.

"I thought you said you didn't want to use that contraption again?" Richard shouted as he rushed to Harry's side. "The Aurors-"

"Forget the Aurors! Just raise my wand and wait for the bus!"

But they did not have to wait. As soon as Richard raised Harry's wand to the sky, the garish Knight Bus popped into existence in front of them.

Harry, carrying Hermione, boarded first, followed by Richard. As Harry deposited Hermione in the front row and took a seat next to her, he looked out the window to see Tessa running back down the alley.

"Wait!" he shouted, leaping to his feet.

But he was too late, as the bus had already taken sped off.

"Go back!" he cried, staggering up to Ernie and Stan. "We have to go back and get her!"

"Ain' no way, Neville," Stan replied with a shake of his head. "No' goin' back for no muggles, 's too dangerous!"

Harry stepped out onto the exposed entry platform and looked back as the club vanished into a speck amidst the burning, crumbling buildings of London. With a sigh, he stepped back into the bus and took his seat next to Hermione, staring out the window at the devastated city.

* * *

><p><em>1:52 PM<em>

_London Skies_

"Giant Killer, target in sight. Request permission to engage, over."

Twenty year old Leading Aircraftwoman Amanda Cecilio banked her Eurofighter Typhoon in pursuit of one of the mysterious flying creatures that had suddenly attacked London. Less than an hour before, she and her squadmates out of RAF Coningsby had been scrambled when a series of unidentified flying objects had been detected over the skies of the United Kingdom. She had only just graduated from training two months before, and this was the first time she had been called into an active military engagement.

Just young enough to avoid deployment in Iraq and Afghanistan, Cecilio had enlisted shortly before the fall of the Libyan government and the death of the leader of that nation, Muammar Gaddafi. For two years she had been wandering from temporary job to temporary job, trying to figure out what she wanted to do with her life. But nothing seemed to pique her interest. However, she had always loved to fly. Even as a little girl, when her parents would take her on holidays to the continent, she had loved the feeling of taking off and soaring above the clouds. It had just taken her a few years to realize that that was what she wanted to do with her life.

Now, with her shaking hand grasping the control stick in front of her, she found herself living that dream.

Taking a quick glimpse out her window, she saw the smoldering rooftops of downtown London. The abominations somehow had the ability to spew fire, and were wreaking havoc on the city, killing countless civilians and causing untold millions in damage. They circled slowly, apparently bent on doing as much damage as possible as they slowly worked their way across the metropolis. The one Cecilio was following however, seemed to be making its way toward the River Thames... and the center of the British government. She only hoped she would be given the authorization to open fire.

"Copy Havoc-24," the voice of her controller crackled over her headset. "Permission to engage granted. Godspeed Havoc-24."

"Copy Giant Killer," she replied. "Target distance less than three kilometers bearing two-three-two headed for Westminster. Descending to four hundred to engage, over."

Her headset went silent as Amanda banked once more in pursuit of the closest of the monsters. Within seconds she was directly behind the creature, and moved to lock on to her target.

Hand twitching in anticipation, Amanda held her breath as her AIM-132 ASRAAM missiles locked on to the creature's body heat. Suddenly, her targeting computer beeped.

Amanda pushed the red button atop her flight stick and instantly pulled up.

The missile ripped from her wing and screamed toward the monster.

Leveling off several hundred meters above the creature, Amanda looked out her window to see her missile slam into the target.

A shower of blood and gore erupted as the beast exploded. Scraps of flesh and entrails fell from the sky, blanketing the City of Westminster in an abominable mess.

Smirking in satisfaction, Amanda looked back out her front window at the burning skyline. As she did so, a voice crackled over her radio.

"Havoc-24, radar contact at your six-o'clo-"

But whatever was said was drowned out by a massive roar and a blinding orange light as Amanda Cecilio's Typhoon exploded.

* * *

><p><em>1:57 PM<em>

_10 Downing Street_

"Radar contact lost with Havoc-24. Repeat, radar contact lost with Havoc-24. Havoc-24, do you read? Havoc-24, copy..."

Prime Minister Rodger Wolfe reached down the table and pressed a button to turn off the radio. The fifty-three year old then leaned back in his chair and sighed heavily. Looking down the long cabinet table at the handful of Ministers that had been assembled on such short notice, he pondered the rapidly changing events of the day.

The narrow Cabinet Room was brightly lit let sparsely populated, lending to the sudden development of the situation. As a result of the absence of most of his cabinet, several military leaders had instead been summoned to offer suggestions and opinions on what could only be described as an attack on the British people.

"Minister," one of the Air Chief Marshals began, "we have tracked the creatures to somewhere in the north. We should know their origin within the hour... but beyond that..."

"What are they?" another asked from across the long, narrow table.

"They resemble a chimera," a third piped in, this time from the far end of the table. "From Greek mythology."

"Greek mythology? Bollocks! Minister, this is an attack! And the sooner we respond, the better! The people will not stand idly by if we do nothing! And what if this is only the beginning?"

Minister Wolfe steepled his fingers in front of his face in thought. As opposed to most of his military leaders, he did believe that there was a possibility that the creatures were indeed chimera.

In office for just over eighteen months, Wolfe had already seen his country through military engagements, most notably the activity in Libya. However, for the first time in seven decades, his country found itself under attack from the skies.

Reaching back to run a hand through his thick brown hair, his mind wandered back to the chimera option. There was no proof that a creature such as a chimera existed. It was simply fantasy, a story cooked up as a tale for children and put into books and films. But no matter how hard he tried to shake the possibility, he could not.

There could only be one origin of the chimera.

As Prime Minister, he was privy classified information and details that nobody else in his government was allowed to know. Perhaps the most vital, and the most secret, was the existence of another world, deeply hidden from the eyes of everyday Britons.

In his eighteen months in office, he had been visited exactly once by a man named Cornelius Fudge, who claimed he held the office of Minister for Magic. Wolfe had initially scoffed at this, but had quickly turned into a believer when he saw the capabilities of Fudge. The man had initially struck him as a bumbling fool, and their visit was too short to prove otherwise.

That was more than a year ago, and Wolfe had not heard a word from the magical world since. He was once again beginning to have his doubts as to its existence... until now.

As he considered the possibility, the door to the Cabinet Room burst open and a young aide rushed to the Minister's side, panting.

"This just came in the post Minister," he gasped, handing Wolfe what appeared to be a piece of antique parchment.

The roll tied with a piece of red string, and bore a large, red wax seal on one side. The letters "MoM" were clearly visible in the seal.

Carefully, Wolfe tore open the parchment and unrolled it before beginning to read. But he quickly stopped and looked up at his cabinet, eyes wide.

"My God," he whispered.

His worst nightmare had come true.

End of Chapter 6

Author's Note: Thank you all for reading and reviewing the last chapter. The response has been great, and I thank all of you for your reviews and for the kind words regarding my return. This chapter was originally the reason I took a long break from this story, as I hit a bit of writer's block and was not sure how to proceed. Originally, the hostage situation was going around in circles, with no resolution in sight. For the longest time, I had no idea how to resolve the situation, so I left the story until I knew. While the final solution was not the greatest thing I could have imagined, it is serviceable, and gets the job done. And once again, the chapters are increasing in length, with this one being the longest yet. I know that cannot continue indefinitely, but my goal is to give all of my readers a good amount of reading material with each update.

I do want to briefly address one concern brought up in a review: that I may be pushing the characters into a corner with all of the bad things that are happening. I have made the mistake in the past of writing a story without an outline, and I have vowed never to do that again. As a result, there is a full outline for this story, right up until the end. I know what is going to happen, and everything is planned out. So you do not have to worry that the situation will get overwhelming for our characters. There is a way out of this situation.

Also, remember that this story, and it's prequel, takes place in modern times, hence the reference to Libya (of course, that portion of this chapter was written a year ago, before the Benghazi attack).

Congratulations are in order for the following reviewers who correctly guessed the title of this chapter:

**PR2**

**AnEndHasAStart1992**

Well done to both of you! And remember, if you want to earn an honorable mention at the end of the next chapter, all you have to do is leave a review with a guess. This is not a closed-book test. The Internet is available if you want to search around for the answer.

Chapter Title Hint: The music video for this song took place on what appears to be a giant newspaper. But more importantly, the song was aimed at addressing the growing news media attention at lead singer Freddie Mercury's ailing health, as well as the marriage drama of guitarist Brian May. The title of this song is a direct reflection of this attention.

Once again I thank you all for reading and reviewing this story. I hope you continue to enjoy where this story is going, and I also hope that you will continue to stay along for the ride. Please leave a review if you enjoyed this chapter of even if you only have a guess about the title of the next chapter. I enjoy hearing from my readers! Thank you again, and I will see you soon with the next chapter!


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